The transient behaviour of marine cables being laid—the two-dimensional problem

Abstract

This paper presents a numerical model for the transient behaviour of marine cables during laying operations. The solution methodology consists of dividing the cable into n straight elements with equilibrium relationships and geometric compatibility equations satisfied for each element. The system of n non-linear ordinary differential equations is then solved by fourth- and fifth-order Runge-Kutta formulae. Results are presented for the cable element slope, cable-top tension, suspended length and required pay-out rate as functions of time and for the cable configuration when the cable ship accelerates or decelerates rectilinearly. The results indicate the necessity of considering the cable dynamics in such analyses, particularly for high cable laying speeds.