Hydroelastic analysis and structural design of a modular floating structure applying ultra-high performance fiber-reinforced concrete

Abstract

This paper proposes a hydroelastic and structural analysis method for modular floating structures (MFS) constructed from fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforced ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) for floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems. Initial structural design, hydroelastic analysis of an equivalent plate model as well as structural analysis are performed in the approach. We investigate the hydroelastic responses of a continuous very large floating structure (VLFS) and three hinge-connected modular floating structures. The floating module is designed to be carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) reinforced UHPC box-pontoon. Hinge connections are applied to neighboring modules to form the floating structure. In the hydroelastic analysis, an equivalent plate model was conducted, and the effects of the number of hinge connections and incident wave conditions on the bending moment and vertical deflection were studied. We found that the hinge connection had a great effect on reducing the bending moment. The aspect ratio of the module should also be considered. Cross-sectional analysis was performed to estimate the bending capacity. Nine cross-sectional trials were compared to verify their safety probability in the specific static analysis. Prestressing was found very effective in enhancing the bending capacity. Non-prestressed UHPC is not recommended owing to its limited bending capacity.