Berthing Structures Research Articles

Effect pile dimensions on behavior of container berth under ship impact

Container berths, which are an essential component of the marine wharf, are exposed to loads from various sources, such as self-weight, operation loads and the environment loads, but the ship load is considered to have the greatest impact on the structure. The container berth in Um Qaser Port was chosen as a model for the study. This paper was based on numerical simulation which was performed by using ABAQUS program to investigate the response of container berth structure under the impact dynamic load.. Studies have dealt with choice eight different diameters of the piles, starting from 800mm to 1500mm. The study included three different cases of pile diameter. The first case is the effect of changing the spacing between the piles. The second case is the effect of the pile depth embedded in the soil. The third case is the change in thickness of pile diameter. The aim of this study is to know the behavior and performance of the pavement structure by changing some parameters, including the diameter of the pile, which is considered the basic and important part in the formation of the structure.

Behavior of container berth structure under the influence of environmental and operational loads

Abstract Container docks, which are an essential component of the marine berth, are exposed to loads from various sources, such as self-weight, operation, and environment. In this study, four sets of combined loads to which the container berth is exposed were selected at the Um-Qaser Port in southern Iraq. The berth was constructed more than 40 years ago, which has to be verified according to latest specifications, and each set of combined loads was analyzed in three cases. In the first case, the piles were assumed to be fixed at the seabed, and in the second and third cases the piles were modeled as embedded in elastic and elasto-plastic sandy soil, respectively. The general-purpose finite-element software ABAQUS was used to model the various components to determine the maximum stresses, displacements, axial forces, shear forces, and bending moments due to dead, live, operate, berthing, mooring, waves, and seismic loads. It has been demonstrated that the impact loads of ships have a more significant impact on the structure compared to other loads. The calculated displacement when the piles are assumed to be fixed at the seabed level may be reduced by 50–94% of that calculated when the soil is modeled, meaning that assuming fixed piles yields inaccurate results, especially for deck displacements. However, this assumption was verified to yield reasonable results for shear forces at the pile head. It could also be noted that the elasto-plastic model of soil was more sensitive than the elastic model in displacement by 0.4–8% and bending moment by 0.3–34%, while it is less sensitive in axial force by 3–8%. The aim of this study is to obtain knowledge on the behavior and efficiency of container berth under the influence of different loads and the environmental conditions surrounding it.

Scour Impact on the Horizontal Bearing Capacity of Pier-Type Dolphin Structures

A study using numerical analysis techniques was conducted to examine the scour effect of pier-type dolphin structures installed in the domestic marine environment, and the effect of scour on horizontal bearing capacity was examined. In this study, we designed the berthing structures, taking into account the environmental and ground conditions of the target maritime area, and after calculating the predicted scour area, stability evaluation was performed by removing the ground elements of the area. The increase in scour depth was found to induce a direct decrease in horizontal bearing capacity due to soil loss in contact with the foundation, establishing a relationship that increases horizontal displacement. However, in the foundation designed to withstand the design load by reflecting the safety rate, the increase in horizontal displacement formed by possible scour is not large, which did not have a dominant effect on the horizontal bearing capacity of the foundation. In the future, research is required to analyze the impact of each factor and formalize evaluation and design techniques to evaluate the scour safety of marine foundations and pier-type structures installed in various ground conditions and structural formats.

Some issues of surveying floating berths of yacht marinas

Over the past 20 years, in Russia the growth of small-sized fleet, which is self-propelled watercraft with a length of 2 to 24 m, intended for sports, recreation, sailing trips and cruises, is noted. The increase in the number of vessels, in turn, contributes to the construction and commissioning of small-sized fleet anchorages. The approved terminology relating to yacht infrastructure is considered and its problems are discussed. A generalized diagram of the yacht port composition is proposed. The object of this study is water transport, in particular the location of small-sized fleet. The purpose of this study is to identify and formulate problems that may be encountered during the inspection and operation of hydraulic structures containing floating pontoons intended for mooring small-sized fleets using the example of a specific yacht port. The use of the principles embedded in ESG technology as one of the ways aimed at harmonizing regulations in the creation and operation of yacht marinas is proposed. As part of the ongoing survey of the yacht port, the berth structures of the yacht port were decomposed element by element and workable and limiting indicators of the pontoon berths elements condition were proposed in tabular form. These indicators are not exhaustive and must be adjusted for the specific object of inspection, taking into account the requirements of the Customer, regulations and the design of the hydraulic structure. In conclusion, a number of questions for further research are formulated. It is concluded that an adequate assessment of the technical condition of floating berths based on the results of a visual inspection is possible with the proper organization of an expert service in combination with continuous deformation monitoring and timely repairs carried out by the operating organization.

PROPOSAL THE SUITABLE STRUCTURE ON SMALL VESSEL AND BARGE IN THICK SOFT SOIL AREA IN THE GEOLOGICAL AREA OF TRA VINH PROVINCE, VIETNAM

Tra Vinh Province with its interlaced river system is convenient for navigation, especially for barges and small vessels under 1000 DWT. Geology in Tra Vinh primarily has a thick soft soil surface layer, averaging from 20 m – 40 m, even over 50 m in some places, structural solutions for docks in most regions choose piers. Thus, the high platform on the pile foundation. However, in practice, we found that most of the proposed wharf structure solutions for barges and small ships are not reasonable, the piles in the berth structure have not brought into full play their bearing capacity, leading to excessive and inefficient investment costs for large-scale projects. Within the scope of the paper, we propose a more reasonable wharf structure solution based on the integrated analysis of the geological features of the structure, the load due to the ship, and the operating loads on the berth.

Minimisation of Propeller-Induced Sediment Resuspension with Rip-Rap System

Sediment resuspension caused by the movement of propellers during manoeuvring is a major problem in daily port operations. Negative impacts include: Marine flora and fauna, sediment erosion that weakens berth structures, sediment deposits that require dredging. Later, this leads to delays in port operations. Several authors have proposed different methods to cope with this problem. This paper presents methods and tools to determine the critical propeller jet velocities, which are the most important parameter to determine the size of the bank stabilisation system. The tool is a bridge simulator that can be used to simulate the intrusive departure manoeuvre of a ship. The ship motion data are analysed to determine the critical shear stress of the sediment particles. The critical velocity induced by the propeller jet is determined using the German method.

Developing a Resilience Index for the Pile-Supported Piers of the Port of Batangas under Tsunami Load

The roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) transport system, which plays a huge role in the transportation and economy of the Philippines, mainly uses piers to provide smooth berthing of ships. However, its structural configuration attracts different hazards causing damage, particularly to piles. Tsunamis produce devastating wave forces. This may heavily result in discontinuity of the whole port operation as there will be no available berthing structure for ships. Hence, this study was conducted to determine the structural resilience of the pile-supported piers of the Port of Batangas against tsunami loads at different variations of wave height and water depth. Structural software was used to model the piers and incorporate calculated tsunami drag forces. Furthermore, pushover analysis was performed to produce the base shear versus displacement curves needed for the calculation of the robustness index. The rapidity index, on one hand, is based on an interview with the Philippine Ports Authority - Port Management Office (PPA-PMO) of Batangas resulting in recovery rates for demolition works and pile replacement. Combining these indices using the concept of resilience triangle, values of the resilience index ranging from 0.0 to 1.0 were calculated at both longitudinal and transverse directions. As a result, the piers were categorized as highly resilient in almost 50% of the tsunami load cases. It proved that the pier with existing batter piles exhibits higher resilience than the other which is only supported by vertical piles.

Finite element analysis and optimization of foam filled fender under quasi static and dynamic responses

Mainly composed of elastic materials, ship fenders are utilised on all kinds of vessels for the protection of berthing structures and the prevention of damage due to heavy crash loads. This study aims to enhance deformation mode and crash performance of foam-filled fenders under quasi-static and dynamic loadings. Six models of ship fender’s structure are chosen for simulation test. The fenders are examined for crashworthiness parameters such as crushing force efficiency (CFE) and specific energy absorption (SEA). Finite element analysis is conducted for estimating crash responses then compared to an appropriate reference and experiment result. Four design variables are considered for instance height, foam density, thickness, and material for optimization. Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II as multi-objective optimization approach are used to obtain the maximum of Specific Energy Absorption (SEA) and the minimum of Crushing Force Efficiency (CFE). Based on the results of the optimization, the best performance is observed in model 5, however it can be replaced the traditional fender design.

ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ ВЛИЯНИЯ МЕТЕОРОЛОГИЧЕСКИХ ФАКТОРОВ НА ТОЧНОСТЬ ГЕОДЕЗИЧЕСКИХ ИЗМЕРЕНИЙ

The article presents the results of studies of factors affecting the results of geodetic measurements during monitoring of the hydraulic structure of the North Caspian Sea Canal. Identification of factors affecting geodetic measurements and their accounting allows to increase the accuracy of monitoring of stationary structures. The results of geodetic monitoring of berthing structures by optical devices, including an electronic total station, are presented. The method of deformation control has been improved, which has led to the improvement of methods and types of geodetic instruments in automated monitoring systems. The results obtained were used in the dissertations of doctoral students, as well as in the educational process of Satbayev University.

Ship Berthing and Unberthing Monitoring System in the Ferry Terminal

This paper presents a monitoring system designed to increase the safety of the quay structure in ferry terminals, in which, during berthing and unberthing maneuvers, propeller and thruster-generated jets may damage the seabed protection, threatening the stability of the berth structure. Direct measurement of flow velocity on the seabed is not possible due to the possibility of its damage, therefore dynamic pressure measurement of the quay wall was used within the system. The relationship between the pressure on the quay wall and flow velocity on the seabed was determined using real-scale CFD simulation of the flow field generated during berthing and unberthing maneuvers. The paper focuses on the computations of the pressure distribution generated by bow thrusters. These computations made it possible to determine the velocity field in the time domain. Their results, verified using real-scale measurements, are in line with generally accepted empirical methods.

A study on the wave reflection coefficient near berthing facilities

Introduction. The article deals with the experimental studies on values of the wave reflection coefficient near the structures of berthing facilities with a front vertical wall. The authors present the findings of experimental studies conducted in the form of physical modeling.
 Materials and methods. The method of physical modeling was employed to conduct the experimental studies. These studies are an integral part of the research project that benefits all modern large marine cargo facilities being designed. The method of physical modeling, applied to port facilities, allows obtaining a model wave, identical to that of a full-scale object, and studying interaction between waves and designed hydraulic engineering structures within a pre-set time range. Experiments were conducted in a wave flume of the Hydraulic Engineering Centre for Research and Experiments at NRU MGSU. The most advanced measuring equipment, produced by Wallingford (UK), was used in the experiment.
 Results. As a result of the experiment, the authors obtained values of the coefficient of reflection of waves near a berthing facility with a vertical front wall (the bulwark type of the berthing structure), subjected to the impact of a standard storm. The main Russian regulatory document, SP (Construction regulations) 38.13330.2018 doesn’t have information about the definition of the wave reflection coefficient for all types of hydraulic structures, and the information available there is not exhaustive. The availability of information about the exact values of the wave reflection coefficient for various types of hydraulic structures, such as berthing facilities, can reasonably reduce their elevation, that will ultimately lead to a substantial reduction in construction costs and time.
 Conclusions. The results of these scientific studies will ensure the successful implementation of the most recent designs of seaports, terminals and cargo complexes in unfavourable natural environments, including the harsh climate of Arctic latitudes, regions where raw hydrocarbons and liquefied natural gas are intensively extracted. This will help to solve the priority task of our time: construction of new transshipment facilities along the Northern Sea Route.

An assessment of mooring systems' forces of ships berthed at dolphins

In the current practice of structural design for berth structures, the mooring forces (tension in lines and compression in fenders) are typically determined through simplified linear static analyses, and then magnified by dynamic amplification coefficients. It is known, however, that the mooring's stiffness presents nonlinearities (both physical and geometrical) that may at times become relevant, raising the issue of whether linear analyses are really adequate. Also, the environmental loads induce oscillatory behavior whose peak values may not always be satisfactorily estimated through dynamic amplification coefficients, which are far from being well defined in the technical literature. This work presents an investigation on the forces developed on mooring systems of vessels berthed at dolphins, and the consequences of the current design practice's simplifications. Different hierarchical models are defined (linear static, nonlinear static and linear dynamic in the frequency domain) for a case study of a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) permanently berthed at dolphins at the Barcarena's Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal in Pará, Brazil. The vessel's displacements and their peak values are determined through stochastic and statistical theories. The corresponding forces on the mooring system are computed and the dynamic amplification coefficients therefrom obtained. A thorough discussion on the results is provided. The methodology presented may be a useful tool to ascertain the dynamic amplification coefficients required in the simplified methodologies from the international standards.

Assessment of harbour inoperability and adaptation cost due to sea level rise. Application to the port of Tangier-Med (Morocco)

This paper intends to assess the potential impacts of the future SLR on the operability of berthing structures and to estimate in monetary terms the adaptation costs to it. To do this, three scenarios of SLR are considered, two corresponding to the last assessment report of IPCC (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) and the other being a high-end scenario (HES), with a low probability of occurrence but physically possible. The research is focused on the case study of Tangier-Med port, which is considered as an economic magnet for the northern region of Morocco and the centerpiece of the government strategy for port development. The results show that the operability of the port will be affected only under the HES and from 2090 onwards. However, by 2100, in this scenario all the docks would be affected, especially the service terminal and those dedicated to containers, hydrocarbons, vehicles and general cargo, in which the percentage of inoperability could exceed 30% of the time. This would lead to traffic losses of 1.9 million TEUS and more than 22 million tons of cargo by 2100 while the adaptation costs would exceed 40 million euros (in present monetary units).

Effect of tie rod anchor on the behaviour of berthing structures

Berthing structures are constructed in coastal areas to accommodate the berthing and mooring of vessels. Tie rod anchors are provided in such structures in order to improve their performance and reduce deflection of the structure. In this study, various types of berthing structures (open and closed) were analysed with and without tie rod anchors. This paper presents the experimental results and their validation with numerical and analytical values. Further parametric studies were carried out to analyse the effect of tie rod anchors. The results imply that there is a considerable effect on the depth of fixity of the piles in open-type berthing structures when tie rod anchors are provided, whereas there is not much effect in closed-type berthing structures when tie rod anchors are provided.

Effect of Climate Change in the Deterioration of a Berthing Structure in a Tropical Environment

Effect of Climate Change in the Deterioration of a Berthing Structure in a Tropical Environment

Centrifuge Modeling of Vessel Impact on Bridge Fender Systems

Bridge or berthing structures are susceptible to accidental ship impacts that may pose a hazard to human life, property, and the environment. Therefore, fenders are often constructed around bridge piers for protection. Although efforts have been made to estimate the ship impact load, understanding of the mechanism of ship impacts on bridge fender systems is still inadequate due to insufficient experimental evidence. In this study, a comprehensive centrifuge model test program involving 60 ship impact tests was performed on a 3×3 pile group to systematically examine the effect of fender systems on a bridge pile foundation subjected to ship impacts. Two types of fenders with different stiffnesses, as well as a benchmark test without fenders, were investigated under different vessel tonnage and impact velocity values. Based on the test results, the characteristics of the impact loads were analyzed. The energy transfer patterns with and without fender systems were compared. The influences of the ship tonnage, impact velocity, ship bow structure, and bridge superstructure mass on the impact load with different fender systems were studied. Finally, empirical equations are established to relate the ship impact load with key influencing factors regarding the fender system, the ship, and the bridge.

Experimental Study on Pipe Sheet Pile Wall Berthing Structure

The berthing structures are built with diaphragm wall tied with piles. The location of the diaphragm wall either in the front or in the rear of the berthing structure depends on the soil condition, the width of the deck, and slope formed after dredging. Instead of the diaphragm wall, the pipe sheet pile wall can be used for its high bending strength and easy construction if the soil is very soft clay or very loose sand. Two configurations with pipe sheet pile wall in the front or in the rear connected to two rows of the pile for lateral mooring pull are studied for different dredge levels. The experimental study performed in cohesionless soil for both the configurations shows that the configuration with pipe sheet pile wall in front has two times more capacity with pipe sheet pile wall in the rear.

Linear and Non-Linear Static Analysis of Berthing Structure

Rapid growth in the water transport system demands the construction of more port and harbour structures.Berthing structures are constructed in ports and harbours to provide facilities such as berthing and mooring of vessels, loading and unloading of cargo and embarking and disembarking of passengers. Quays, wharfs, piers, jetties and dolphins are the most widely used berthing structures. In this project, linear and non-linear static analysis berthing structure module is studied. The basic data influence factors which affected the berthing structure were taken into consideration, such as soil characteristics of the proposed location, environmental conditions and range of traffic which will be used in the project is generally taken from Visakhapatnam port. The entire Berth length is 506.4m which is divided into 10 modules and each module length is 50.640m and width of the berth is 33.450m. The Berth has been analyzed by using STAAD Pro Software. After performing the linear and non-linear static analysis of the berthing structure module the behaviour of the structural elements is compared by various parameters deflection, bending moments, shear forces of cross beam, long beam, crane beam, front crane beam, retaining beam and also for the different piles. The axial forces variations of different piles are also studied.

MODELING PORT STRUCTURE IMPACT TO SEDIMENTATION PATTERN IN TUDI BAY, PROVINCE OF GORONTALO, INDONESIA

: Numerical modeling using Surface-water Modelling System (SMS) is carried out to simulatethe hydrodynamic and sediment transport pattern in Monano Bay, Gorontalo Province, Indonesia. The model applies scenarios of the existing bay before and after berthing structures development. Field data acquisition and secondary data collection are carried out to complete the model. The field measurement includesbathymetry, tide elevation, and current velocity measurements. Validation of the model and field measurement shows good agreement. The validated parameters are the tidal elevation and velocity data. The model shows that in flood and ebb condition, the current flows to the south-east and north-west direction, respectively. The velocity is in the range of 0.1 – 0.25 m/s. The sedimentation modeling shows that the seabed changes are not significant for model scenarios before and after the port development. It is found that the potential increment of sedimentation in Monano Bay with berthing structure being there is about 10 – 15 cm in a one-year simulation.

On the operational state of the wave-quenching structure of the pier-mole made of hollow concrete massifs

Currently, the search for constructive solutions of berthing and enclosure structures of vertical type, providing a reduction in the reflection coefficient of waves, wave loads on the structures and their bases. To create normal conditions in the part of the wave regime in the Far Eastern port during the reconstruction of the pier-mole, it was proposed to use perforated concrete massifs with a quenching chamber. The use of such structure of a wall in the form of pillar masonry of hollow massifs (without ligation the seams) in the absence of an internal cavity filler as a protective structure has no analogues in our country. The results of operational author’s supervision during the construction of the pier-mole showed that on the commissioned section of the structure there are a significant number of defects – rolls, offsets, turns of individual blocks, etc. This situation has led to the need to establish the actual state of the structure and its elements to identify the causes of defects and damage. For this purpose, design, executive documentation, technical supervision materials, etc. were studied and two cycles (initial and main – control) of engineering surveys of the surface and underwater parts of the operated wall section with a length of about 250 m were implemented. Their results served as the basis for the analysis of the technical condition of the structure and the development of measures to improve its operational qualities. The analysis also used data from experimental model studies of the vertical wall structure under consideration.