Effects Of Wave Loads Research Articles

Investigation on the coupling damage effects of ships subjected to near-field underwater explosion loads

Near-field underwater explosions generate complex load forms and cause destructive strikes on ships. To investigate the damage characteristics of ships under the combined effect of multiple loads, local and overall damage modes were first investigated through the combination of experimental tests and numerical simulation. Then a series of numerical simulations of full-scale ships subjected to near-field underwater explosions with different stand-off distances, equivalents, and detonation positions were carried out. The damage effects of shock wave, bubble pulsation, after flow, and water jet loads on ships were analyzed. The results show that the combined effects of different loads lead to different damage modes. Shock waves and after flow loads are the main cause of local damage and hogging damage, while pressure difference and bubble adsorption are the main reasons for the hogging damage. Finally, a criterion was proposed to determine the damage modes of ships under near-field underwater explosions.

RESEARCH SOLUTIONS FOR PRECAST CONCRETE REVETMENTS USING ALB-REBAR TO RETAIN CORAL SAND FOR OFFSHORE ISLANDS IN VIETNAM

Gravity revetment solutions are a popular choice for shore protection at atolls under the harsh conditions of ocean waves. The precast revetment option is preferred to reduce shipping costs for materials and ensure quick construction. This article studied precast concrete revetments with ALB composite material reinforcement and conducted experimental research to determine the shear resistance characteristics of coral sand and the friction characteristics of concrete materials with coral sand. Based on the experimental parameters, the authors calculated the stability of the ALB embankment structure against the effects of wave loads during storms. With experimental data obtained from coral sand samples prepared with equivalent density in the field, the results showed that the stability coefficient of the revetment is significantly higher than the one obtained from the traditional calculation concept.

Numerical Investigation into the Stability of Offshore Wind Power Piles Subjected to Lateral Loads in Extreme Environments

Monopile foundations are extensively utilized in the rapidly expanding offshore wind power industry, and the stability of these foundations has become a crucial factor for ensuring the safety of offshore wind power projects. Such foundations are subjected to a myriad of complex environmental loads during their operational lifespan. Whilst current research predominantly concentrates on the effects of wind, wave, and current loads on monopile stability in extreme environments, it is imperative to consider the potential influence of unexpected submarine landslide loads. In this study, we provide a comprehensive overview of wind, wave, current, and submarine landslide loads on monopile foundations in extreme environments. Subsequently, we establish a finite element model for analyzing the stability of monopiles under complex lateral loads, and validate the accuracy of the model by comparing it with the previous numerical findings. A case study is performed with reference to the Xiangshui Wind Farm project to analyze the effects of varying submarine landslide densities, velocities, impact heights, and seabed sediment strengths on pile head horizontal displacement, pile rotation at the mudline, and maximum bending moment. The findings indicate that the increase in submarine landslide density, velocity, and impact height leads to an increase in horizontal displacement at the pile head, pile rotation at the mudline, and maximum bending moments, and a horizontal failure mode is observed in seabed sediments. Furthermore, under the same load conditions, a decrease in seabed sediment strength and internal friction angle triggers instability in monopiles, with a noteworthy transition from horizontal failure to deep-seated seabed sediment failure. Finally, we propose a criterion for monopile instability under diverse loading conditions.

A novel analytical solution for horizontal vibration of partially embedded offshore piles considering the distribution effect of wave loads

According to the Novak's plane strain theory and Biot's wave equation, this paper proposes an analytical model for horizontal vibration of partially embedded offshore piles under distribution effect of wave loads (DEWL) incorporating the diffraction effects of waves. Firstly, for the pile above the mudline, the wave force acting on the pile is obtained through the method of separation of variables. Secondly, for the embedded section of offshore piles, the governing equations of the seabed are decoupled by introducing potential functions, and then the boundary condition of the seabed and the continuity condition at the soil-pile contact surface are combined to obtain the frequency domain analysis of the soil reaction forces. Furthermore, by applying the continuity condition of displacement at mudline and using the matrix transfer method, the analytical solution for the horizontal vibration characteristics (HVC) is derived. Finally, a comparison analysis with existing theoretical solutions is conducted to validate the rationality and accuracy of the analytical solution proposed in this paper. Based on this, a parametric analysis is conducted to discuss the effects of the parameters of the soil, the pile and the wave on the HVC of partially embedded offshore piles.

Experimental study on the effects of hydrodynamic loads on the seismic response of end-anchored floating bridges

This study focuses on seismic hydrodynamic testing and presents a 1:100-scaled experiment conducted on an end-anchored floating bridge. A series of underwater experiments with varying wave heights and wave periods were conducted to evaluate the effects of hydrodynamic properties on the dynamic behavior of floating bridges under the combined action of earthquakes and waves. The experimental results showed that sway motion resonance occurred when the wave period increased under a multihazard effect. The lateral motion of the pontoon is generated by the earthquake-induced lateral seismic radiation waves on both sides of the pontoon. However, as the wave height increased, the laterally expanding radiation waves on both sides of the pontoon were diminished by the incident waves, resulting in the fragmentation of the seismic radiation waves. Furthermore, independent of the wave height or earthquake, the roll motion of the pontoons induced by the earthquake steadily stabilized as the wave period increased. The effect of wave loads on the translational and rotational responses of floating structures under multihazard effects depends on the hydrodynamic properties of the input sea state.

Comparative study on dynamic responses of integrated installation process of a 5-MW and a 15-MW offshore wind turbine considering a pre-installed foundation

The integrated installation method for offshore wind turbines has the characteristics of high efficiency and low economic cost due to the small amount of construction work. However, the complexity of the entire system is exacerbated by environmental loads and mechanical couplings. Hence, it is urgent to investigate the dynamic response of OWTs during integrated installation procedures. This work compares the dynamic responses between NREL 5 MW and IEA 15 MW OWT installation systems. The hydrodynamics are calculated using the potential flow theory and the Morison equation, while the aerodynamics under wind turbine parked conditions are computed using the blade element momentum theory. Time domain simulations, considering various wind and wave conditions, are conducted via SIMA. This paper discusses the effects of wind and wave loads on the motion responses of catamaran installation vessel and spar, the relative motion at the mating point, and the sliding gripper forces, respectively. The results reveal that both the surge motions of the catamaran and the spar and the pitch motion of the spar exhibit sensitivity to wind loads. During installation, the motion response of the IEA 15 MW model is more dramatic than that of the NREL 5 MW system. Under wave-only conditions, the radial distances of the mating points for both NREL 5 MW and IEA 15 MW systems reach 1.65 m and 2.51 m, respectively. However, the influences of wind loads and wave incident angle are limited.

Simplified Strength Assessment for Preliminary Structural Design of Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Semi-Submersible Platform

The study aims to develop a simplified strength assessment method for the preliminary structural design of a semi-submersible floating offshore wind turbine platform. The method includes load cases with extreme wave load effects and a load case dominated by wind load. The extreme load effects due to waves are achieved using the design waves. Seven characteristic responses of the semi-submersible platform due to waves are chosen. The design waves for the extreme characteristic responses are all from extreme wave conditions where the significant wave heights are close to the one for a return period of 100 years. The extreme load effects dominated by wind loads are approximated using the modified environmental contour method. The load effects are the tower base shear force and bending moment. The two load effects are correlated, and a linear equation can approximate the relationship between their extreme values. The finite element analysis results show that the frame design of the bottom of the outer column is essential for structural strength. The wave load can also result in significant stress in the area close to the tower base.

Overall Design of Multi-module Offshore Floating Bridge and a Method for Random Analysis of Anchor Tension

This paper proposes a multi-module floating bridge design for offshore applications and establishes a coupled motion response analysis method for the anchoring system of the floating bridge. Time-domain coupled analysis is performed under the combined effects of wind, wave, and current loads, resulting in the maximum tension of the anchor chain in random waves. Using the typical island and reef sea area of Zhoushan, China as an example, the randomness of waves is considered, and a random sampling method is adopted. The main configuration, connection structure, and mooring system design schemes are presented, and the maximum tension of the anchoring system is numerically calculated and analyzed. The random distribution of the maximum anchor chain tension is obtained, the goodness-of-fit test is conducted for the fitting results, and the main degree-of-freedom motion response is analyzed under different exceedance probabilities. The results show that the multi-module offshore floating bridge meets the design requirements, and the statistical characteristics of the maximum tension of the anchor chain under random waves conform to the Gumbel distribution. The mode of the random distribution of the maximum anchor chain tension increases by 7.65% when fully loaded compared to the unloaded condition. In different exceedance probability scenarios, there are significant differences in the maximum tension of the anchor chain and the motion response of the main degrees of freedom of the floating bridge.

Vehicle-bridge dynamic response analysis under copula-coupled wind and wave actions

In the service period, coastal bridges are suffered from wind, wave, and environmental actions, which is a high-risk meteorological environment. To investigate the safety and comfort of vehicle-bridge subjected to the combined wind and wave, Copula-coupled theory is employed to discriminate the statistical correlation from wind speed (Uw) to wave height (Hs). According to the measured data, the combined values in different bivariate return period (BRP) are obtained by the optimal joint distribution (e.g., Clayton Copula). Wind forces on vehicle-bridge system involved buffeting and statical are considered. The wave forces of substructure are derived by Morison and MacCamy-Fuchs equation. A presentative double pylon cable-stayed bridge is employed to explore the effect of wind and wave loads. The vehicle-bridge dynamic response increases as the increase of BRP, especially the lateral displacement of mid-span, which is mainly affected by the first-order transverse bending fundamental frequency of the bridge. All dynamic response indexes meet the standard value.

Study of the effect of shock wave loading on the structure and properties of bronze alloys BrAZh9-4 and BrAMts9-2

Bronze alloys, due to their resistance to mechanical abrasion and high corrosion resistance, are used for the manufacture of machine parts and mechanisms that are subject to friction during operation. We present the results of studying the effect of shock-wave loading on the structure and properties of bronze alloys of grades BrAZh9-4 and BrAMts9-2. Shock-wave loading experiments were carried out by throwing the flyer plate onto cylindrical samples and compressing by a sliding detonation wave. The method of throwing a flyer plate accelerated by the energy of an explosion is often used to determine the spall strength of materials and the method of compression by a sliding detonation wave is used to create a large dynamic pressure inside the material. It is shown that at a throwing speed of a flyer plate of 2.4 km/sec, the impact pressure of the plate with the sample is 15 – 16 GPa, which exceeds the bronze shear strength. Under indicated loading conditions, the hardness of bronze increases by 53 and 25% for BrAZh9-4 and BrAMts9-2, respectively. Studies of the microstructure using scanning electron and optical microscopy revealed multiple cracks and micropores present on the surface of transverse sections forming a zone of spall fracture and areas turning into bands of localized deformation. Moreover, it is shown that when the samples are loaded with a flyer plate in a clip and without it, a greater number of cracks and shear areas are observed. Compression by a sliding detonation wave with a different amount of explosive charge revealed small defects present in the structure at the grain boundaries. The results obtained can be used to developed technologies for modifying and restoring the properties of bronze parts subject to shock-wave destruction.

Mechanical model and characteristics of deep-water drilling riser-wellhead system under internal solitary waves

Internal solitary waves with a huge amount of energy easily trigger the large dynamic responses of riser-wellhead system and threaten its structural safety. However, previous studies have only focused on the dynamic response of the riser under internal solitary waves. The riser may experience excessive traction from the platform, especially from the mooring platform, in response to the arrival of internal solitary waves. The bottom of the riser connects to the wellhead system, which in turn exerts a reaction force on the riser. To address this problem, a coupled dynamic model of deep-water drilling mooring platform-riser-wellhead system under internal solitary waves is developed in this paper. A dynamic response analysis method based on the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method and finite element method is also proposed for the mooring platform-riser-wellhead system. A dynamical solver for the coupled system is then developed using MATLAB. The dynamic response characteristics of the riser-wellhead system under internal solitary waves are calculated. Results show that the displacement and bending moment of the system initially increases and then decreases along with the propagation of internal solitary waves, and finally reach equilibrium position. The displacement and bending moment reach their peak before the trough of internal solitary waves passes through the riser-wellhead system. The dynamic responses of the riser-wellhead system under the influence of internal solitary wave loads are much larger than those without the effect of internal solitary wave loads. The riser system experiences shearing loads at the interface of internal solitary waves, which trigger a step-like bending moment variation. The bending moment of the conductor under the mudline is greatly increased by the internal solitary waves.

Multi‐hazard fragility assessment of monopile offshore wind turbines under earthquake, wind and wave loads

AbstractThis study establishes a multi‐hazard probabilistic assessment framework for assessing the integrity of monopile offshore wind turbines (OWT) under the stochastic coupled effect of wind, wave and earthquake loading. The procedure deals with the entire operational range of inflow wind speed (i.e., 3–25 m/s), for which the probability of failure under multi‐hazard excitations is found to be non‐negligible. Numerical analysis is performed by implementing nonlinear finite‐element models of the OWT developed in OpenSees. The dynamic response of the OWT system under wind‐ and wave‐load combinations is individually validated against those obtained from the aero‐hydro‐servo‐elastic simulator OpenFAST. Following the Latin‐hypercube approach, a cloud‐based assessment procedure is then performed with an ensemble of 300 earthquake ground motions, from which the multi‐hazard performance of the OWT regarding the serviceability limit state (SLS) and the ultimate limit state (ULS) can be evaluated. The epistemic uncertainty associated with various loads, structural properties, and soil conditions is also accounted for. Based on this probabilistic assessment framework, the sensitivity of the resulting OWT fragility surfaces to different statistical regression methods and wind—ground motion intensity measure pairs (IM‐pairs) is further scrutinised. Regression methods are comparatively evaluated. The efficiency, practicality, proficiency and sufficiency of various IM‐pairs are examined for the purpose of assessing operating OWT multi‐hazard fragility functions. The optimum IM‐pair is then employed in a trained Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) scheme for cloud data regression to assess the multi‐hazard fragility of the system. The derived multi‐hazard fragility function shows that the contribution of seismic forces in structural demand for a design‐level earthquake is comparable to those caused by operational‐level wind and wave loads.

The role of dynamical strength of offshore facilities in safety assurance

The paper provides the prediction calculations of the hardness of the deep-water offshore platforms with high potential of threat under the effect of extreme wave loads in Guneshli field. The significant increase in the actual design loads, which is a real supposition for the occurrence of technical and ecological catastrophe, has been defined. The necessary scientific-technical measures to prevent probable failures are suggested.

Assessment of Dynamic Effects of Wave Loads in Fatigue Analysis for Fixed Steel Offshore Structures

This paper presents an algorithm and develops a formula to evaluate the dynamic effect of wave loading on fixed steel offshore structures (jacket structures) through the fatigue damage ratio. Applying the algorithm and formula proposed in this paper to evaluate the dynamic effect of wave loads in fatigue analysis for 03 Jacket structures built at increasing water depth under one specific marine condition and provide specific recommendations on the limits of application of quasi-static and dynamic methods in the fatigue analysis of the jacket structures. This research is really necessary because currently, the current standards (API, DnV) only stop at evaluating the dynamic effects of wave loads acting on the Jacket structure in the strength analysis. These standards propose a limit for quasi-static or dynamic analysis based on the "3.0 s or 2.5 s rule" (use the quasi-static method when Tmax≤ 3.0 s or ≤ 2.5 s), and it is advised that they only apply to waters within the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. This paper has demonstrated that it is not appropriate to use the specified standards for the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico to select the method of fatigue analysis of the jacket structure in marine conditions outside the study area of the standard. Hoped that this paper will be a reference for engineers when choosing a fatigue analysis method for jacket structures in specific marine conditions at the location where the jacket structure has been installed. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2023-09-02-016 Full Text: PDF

Numerical study of higher-harmonic wave loads and runup on monopiles with and without ice-breaking cones based on a phase-inversion method

Ice-breaking cones are commonly used in the design of marine structures in cold regions. This study investigates the effects of higher-harmonic wave loads and wave runup on a 5-MW offshore wind turbine with and without ice-breaking cones under extreme wave conditions on the Liaodong Peninsula in China. Two ice-breaking cones (upward-downward and inverted types) are considered. The numerical model adopts a two-phase flow by solving unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) equations using the volume of fluid (VOF) method. A phase decomposition method through a ‘Stokes-like’ formulation was adopted to obtain the parameters for each harmonics. The presence of the conical part is seen to increase the second-harmonic wave loads by up to 40%, but it has only limited influence on the fourth and fifth harmonics. The upward-downward-type ice-breaking cone increases the third harmonic, while the inverted-type ice-breaking cone decreases the third harmonic. Due to the phase difference between the first-harmonic and higher harmonics, the largest wave runup occurs at 0°, and 135° is the location with the smallest wave runup. This is because at the 135-degree location, the linear component is positive but the other nonlinear components are negative. For the 0-degree location, all harmonics are positive. By contrast, the inverted type has little effect. The high harmonic wave runup of the minimum point is backwards compared with that of the monopile, and most nonlinear wave runups are different upstream of the monopile.

Reliability-based calibration of site-specific design typhoon wind and wave loads for wind turbine

The wind turbines (WTs) that are designed, constructed, and installed near the coastline of mainland China are faced with geographically varying tropical cyclone hazards; failure of WTs due to the tropical cyclone (TC) hazards has been observed in this considered region. The reliability-based Chinese design code calibration of WTs subjected to TC hazards for the considered region seems missing in the literature. In the present study, we calibrate the site-specific design TC wind and wave loads for designing offshore and onshore WTs located in the considered region for selected target reliability indices. The calibration considers the correlated TC wind speed and significant wave height during the passage of TC events. Also, the companion load factors by considering wind load and inertial wave load effects are calibrated. Moreover, the statistics of the responses of the onshore and offshore versions of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory 5 MW wind turbines are calculated using the software package FAST. The statistics of the responses are used in the reliability-based verification analysis by considering the calibrated design TC wind load and wave load requirements. The results indicated that using the calibrated geographically varying TC wind and wave loads is adequate and can be used to aid structural design code making.

Research on Mooring System Design for Kulluk Platform in Arctic Region

Mooring system design of a floating offshore structure in the arctic region is considered to be extremely important. This paper aims at investigating an optimal mooring system for the Kulluk platform operating in the Beaufort Sea, which has ice-free and ice-covered conditions during the whole year time. In order to complete the layout design of the mooring system to satisfy the year-round operation, both the effect of wave loads and ice loads should be considered. The research establishes a coupled numerical production system composed of the Kulluk platform and mooring system. Wave load is solved by potential flow theory. The slender finite element method is used to compute the tension of the mooring system. The nonlinear finite element method, discrete element method, and empirical formula are compared to analyze ice load. Finally, the discrete element method is selected for the analysis of the Kulluk, and the simulated results are compared reasonably with the field data. When studying the mooring line configurations, quantitative time-domain analysis is carried out, including tension of mooring lines and the motions of the platform under different working conditions. The research work in this paper will provide a reference for the optimal design of the mooring system of the platform operating in the Arctic Sea.

On the hydrodynamic responses of a multi-column TLP floating offshore wind turbine model

The offshore floating wind turbine system is a key piece of equipment for harvesting wind energy from the ocean field. However, the structural safety analysis and design of such equipment largely require a suitable platform to accurately obtain the dynamic characteristics. In the present study, an attempt was made to investigate the dynamic responses of the proposed 5-MW WindStar multi-column tension-leg-platform (TLP) system under different ocean environment conditions. Typical motion responses of the WindStar system, including the surge and pitch, and a series of measurements obtained from wave basin tests, such as nacelle acceleration and tendon tension, were compared with those of simulated results from the FAST code under four hydrodynamic load conditions. Additionally, the second-order wave load was incorporated with the first-order wave load, so as to allow for accurate evaluation of the high-frequency response of the floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT). Further, the effect of high-order wave loads on the high-frequency responses of the TLP FOWT was elucidated. The second-order frequency wave load was found to be a significant factor in determining the motion responses of the WindStar TLP system, and the results from FAST were found to agree well with those of the experiment. The coupled method of experiments and numerical analysis can be effectively used to understand the high-frequency dynamic responses of TLP FOWT systems, such as the WindStar TLP.

Seismic Analysis of 10 MW Offshore Wind Turbine with Large-Diameter Monopile in Consideration of Seabed Liquefaction

With the increasing construction of large-scale wind turbines in seismically active coastal areas, the survivability of these high-rated-power offshore wind turbines (OWTs) in marine and geological conditions becomes extremely important. Although research on the dynamic behaviors of OWTs under earthquakes has been conducted with consideration of the soil-structure interaction, the attention paid to the impact of earthquake-induced seabed liquefaction on OWTs supported by large-diameter monopiles remains limited. In view of this research gap, this study carries out dynamic analyses of a 10 MW OWT under combined wind, wave, and earthquake loadings. This study uses a pressure-dependent multisurface elastoplastic constitutive model to simulate the soil liquefaction phenomenon. The results indicate that the motion of the large-diameter monopile leads to more extensive soil liquefaction surrounding the monopile, specifically in the zone near the pile toe. Moreover, compared with earthquake loading alone, liquefaction becomes more severe under the coupled wind and earthquake loadings. Accordingly, the dynamic responses of the OWT are apparently amplified, which demonstrates the importance of considering the coupling loadings. Compared with wind loading, the effect of wave loading on the dynamic response and liquefaction potential is relatively insignificant.

A generic method for assessment of inhomogeneous wave load effects of very long floating bridges

Floating bridges are promising infrastructures used to cross wide and deep fjords. During the design of floating bridges, the wave field is usually assumed long-crested and homogeneous. However, the real wave field in fjords is short-crested and inhomogeneous due to the complicated topography. To evaluate the uncertainties implied by the homogeneous assumption, a generic method is proposed in this study for the assessment of inhomogeneous wave load effects of very long floating bridges. The inhomogeneous wave field is represented by the long-term variation and correlation of wave spectral parameters at the location of each pontoon and by coherence functions of wave elevations between pontoons. The correlated and inhomogeneous wave field is simulated by applying the Cholesky decomposition techniques based on auto- and cross-spectra of waves at pontoons. The wave spectral parameters can be determined with consideration of their long-term correlation while the coherence functions of wave elevations can be obtained by using phase-resolved methods. Based on the simulated wave elevations at each pontoon, the time series of first-order and second-order wave excitation forces are created by using the transfer functions and applied externally to each pontoon in the numerical model of the floating bridge. The proposed method is validated and applied to investigate the dynamic behavior of a floating bridge for the Bjørnafjord crossing as a case study. The inhomogeneous wave load effects are assessed by carrying out fully coupled time-domain simulations. It is found that the assumption of homogeneous wave conditions is conservative for the strong axis and weak axis bending moments, but significantly nonconservative for the axial force. The proposed method can also be applied for other very large floating structures subjected to the inhomogeneous wave field.