Three-dimensional equivalent static analysis for design of submerged floating tunnel

Abstract

Stress evaluation of a submerged floating tunnel (SFT) is an issue important for determining the section dimensions required to resist environmental loads. However, the complex interaction between an SFT and surrounding fluid has confined most research on SFTs to longitudinal global time-history analyses based on Morison's equation [1]. Even though these analyses give sufficient information in the longitudinal direction, too little information about the circumferential direction compels an SFT section to be designed conservatively. This means that SFT design requires additional information on the structural behavior of the tunnel in the circumferential direction for efficient design. Accordingly, a supplementary approach by which to obtain structural responses in the circumferential direction is introduced in this paper. Upon consideration of the static responses equivalent to the dynamic behavior, three-dimensional (3-D) finite-element analyses of an SFT were performed by application of static loads corresponding to dynamic loads equivalent to those of wave, current and earthquake. The validation of each equivalent static load was supported by the results from comparison of the tension forces in mooring lines obtained using OrcaFlex [2] and ABAQUS [3]. These were used mainly for longitudinal dynamic analysis and 3-D stress evaluation, respectively, of an SFT. Based on the stresses obtained in the longitudinal and circumferential directions, the selection of suitable section dimensions for an SFT is considered.