Motion and Whiplash Effect of a Floating Crane Model und er Wave Load: Experiment

Abstract

Zhou, J.; Wang, H., and Jiang, Z., 2020. Motion and whiplash effect of a floating crane model under wave load: Experiment. In: Zheng, C.W.; Wang, Q.; Zhan, C., and Yang, S.B. (eds.), Air-Sea Interaction and Coastal Environments of the Maritime and Polar Silk Roads. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 99, pp. 346–357. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.The top parts of tall terrestrial buildings are sometimes damaged or even destroyed during strong earthquakes because of the whiplash effect. Similarly, the marine floating high-rise multibody structure with a floating base may experience the whiplash effect even more easily, which means that marked motion of the upper part of the structure will occur accompanying minor motion of the floating base under the action of an external load induced by a wave or seismic load. The whiplash effect would threaten the operation and the survival of these offshore high-rise platform structures.In this paper, a physical experiment involving a floating crane without a mooring system under wave loads was set up. The data and results were analyzed and discussed mainly in terms of the motion and the whiplash effect of the floating crane. The whiplash coefficient is defined to estimate the magnitude of the whiplash effect. Some factors, including wave amplitude, wave length, boom angle and boom length, are investigated to determine how they affect the motion and the whiplash effect of the floating crane. Some suggestions are given to control the whiplash effect, and those are useful for the operation of offshore floating platform structures, such as the oil-drill platform, the floating wind farm, the floating crane and some other high-rise marine floating structures.