An Improved Time Domain Approach for Analysis of Floating Bridges Based on Dynamic Finite Element Method and State-Space Model

The floating bridge bears the dead weight and live load with buoyancy, and has wide application prospect in deep-water transportation infrastructure. The structural analysis of floating bridge is challenging due to the complicated fluid-solid coupling effects of wind and wave. In this research, a novel time domain approach combining dynamic finite element method and state-space model (SSM) is established for the refined analysis of floating bridges. The dynamic coupled effects induced by wave excitation load, radiation load and buffeting load are carefully simulated. High-precision fitted SSMs for pontoons are established to enhance the calculation efficiency of hydrodynamic radiation forces in time domain. The dispersion relation is also introduced in the analysis model to appropriately consider the phase differences of wave loads on pontoons. The proposed approach is then employed to simulate the dynamic responses of a scaled floating bridge model which has been tested under real wind and wave loads in laboratory. The numerical results are found to agree well with the test data regarding the structural responses of floating bridge under the considered environmental conditions. The proposed time domain approach is considered to be accurate and effective in simulating the structural behaviors of floating bridge under typical environmental conditions.

     

Complete two-dimensional analysis of sea-wave-induced fully non-linear sloshing fluid in a rigid floating tank

A time-independent finite-difference method and a fifth-order Runge–Kutta–Felhberg scheme were used to analyze the dynamic responses of sea-wave-induced fully non-linear sloshing fluid in a floating tank. The interaction effect between the fully non-linear sloshing fluid and the floating tank associated with coupled surge, heave and pitch motions of the tank are analyzed for the first time in the present pilot study. For the analysis of fluid motion in the tank, the coordinate system is moving (translating and rotating) with tank motion. The time-dependent water surface of the sloshing fluid is transformed to a horizontal plane and the flow field is mapped on to a rectangular region. The Euler equations as well as the fully non-linear kinematic free surface condition were used in the analysis of the sloshing fluid. The strip theory for linearized harmonic sea-wave loading was adopted to evaluate the regular encounter wave force. In addition, the dynamic coefficients used in the dynamic equations of tank motion were also derived based on strip theory and a harmonic motion of the tank. The characteristics of free and forced tank motions with and without the sloshing effect are studied. By the damping effect, the response of free oscillation will damp out and that of forced oscillation will approach a steady state. Without sea-wave action, the contribution of the sloshing load would enlarge the angular response of tank motion as well as the rise of free surface and the sloshing effect will delay the damping effect on angular displacement. On the contrary, under sea-wave action, the sloshing effect will decrease the dynamic response of tank motion and rise of free surface. The interaction, sloshing and coupling effects are found to be significant and should be considered in the analysis and design of floating tanks.     

Dynamic factor analysis considering elastic boom effects in heavy lifting operations

The dynamic factor is the ratio of the maximum dynamic load to the static load acting on the wire ropes between the boom of a floating crane and a cargo. In this paper, the dynamic factor is analyzed based on dynamic simulations of a floating crane and a cargo, considering an elastic boom. For the simulation, we designed a multibody system that consists of a floating crane barge, an elastic boom, and a cargo connected to the boom through wire ropes. The dynamic equations of motion of the system are based on flexible multibody system dynamics. Six-degree-of-freedom motions are considered for the floating crane and for the cargo, and three-dimensional deformations for the elastic boom. The hydrostatic force, the hydrodynamic force, the gravitational force, and the wire rope forces are considered as external forces. The dynamic factor is obtained by numerically solving the equation. The effects of the elastic boom on heavy cargo lifting are discussed by comparing the simulation results of an elastic boom and a rigid boom.     

A Novel Dynamics Analysis Method for Spar-Type Floating Offshore Wind Turbine

The dynamic behavior of floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) is crucial for its design and optimization. A novel dynamics analysis method for the spar-type FOWT system is proposed in this paper based on the theorem of moment of momentum and the Newton’s second law. The full nonlinearity of the equations of motion (EOMs) and the full nonlinear coupling between external loads and the motions are preserved in this method. Compared with the conventional methods, this method is more transparent and it can be applied directly to the large-amplitude rotation cases. An in-house code is developed to implement this method. The capability of in-house code is verified by comparing its simulation results with those predicted by FAST. Based on the in-house code, the dynamic responses of a spar-type FOWT system are investigated under various conditions.     

畸形波作用下张力腿浮式风力机动力响应特性

针对张力腿系泊浮式风力机的基础运动,忽略柔性构件的影响,建立气动—水动—系泊非线性耦合运动方程。在运动控制方程中包含张力腿系泊系统的非线性回复刚度,桨距角控制以及浮式基础运动对空气动力载荷的影响。在波浪载荷的计算中考虑二阶波浪载荷的作用。采用随机频率相位角调制法生成畸形波波面时历,计算在畸形波作用下张力腿型浮式风力机的动力响应特性。数值模拟结果表明,在畸形波作用下,浮式基础的运动及空气动力性能均受到了显著的影响。其中浮式基础的纵荡和纵摇运动分别受二阶差频与和频波浪力的影响,而垂荡运动的增加则主要是受下沉运动的影响。在畸形波经过的时刻,风力机的功率系数迅速下降,水平方向的风载荷波动先减小,随后其数值急剧下降,而垂直方向的风载荷波动增大。     

Coupled Dynamic Response Analysis of A Multi-Column Tension-Leg-Type Floating Wind Turbine

This paper presents a coupled dynamic response analysis of a multi-column tension-leg-type floating wind turbine (WindStar TLP system) under normal operation and parked conditions. Wind-only load cases, wave-only load cases and combined wind and wave load cases were analyzed separately for the WindStar TLP system to identify the dominant excitation loads. Comparisons between an NREL offshore 5-MW baseline wind turbine installed on land and the WindStar TLP system were performed. Statistics of selected response variables in specified design load cases (DLCs) were obtained and analyzed. It is found that the proposed WindStar TLP system has small dynamic responses to environmental loads and it thus has almost the same mean generator power output under operating conditions as the land-based system. The tension mooring system has a sufficient safety factor, and the minimum tendon tension is always positive in all selected DLCs. The ratio of ultimate load of the tower base fore-aft bending moment for the WindStar TLP system versus the land-based system can be as high as 1.9 in all of the DLCs considered. These results will help elucidate the dynamic characteristics of the proposed WindStar TLP system, identify the difference in load effect between it and land-based systems, and thus make relevant modifications to the initial design for the WindStar TLP system.     

驳船横荡运动下海洋立管的动力响应

海洋浮式生产系统下立管的受力情况复杂,国内的研究大多集中于两端固支或简支的情况。本文则以水面驳船的横荡运动作为立管上端的动力边界条件,将Matteo Luca Facchinetti的尾流振子模型与考虑外流涡激振动作用下海洋立管运动微分方程相结合,得到管道与流体的耦合振动方程,用Hermit插值函数将方程进行有限元离散,并用Newmark时程分析法及迭代法求解,得到管道各点的位移时程曲线。结果表明:立管的振动频率主要由上端驳船的运动频率所确定,随着驳船运动频率的增加,立管中点的位移幅值先增加后减小;在有动边界存在的条件下,改变外流流速对立管中点的位移幅值影响不大。     

双体波浪能装置运动及系泊系统特性研究

波浪能是一种清洁、可再生的新型能源,波浪能发电装置在海上作业时会受到变化的风、浪、流载荷作用,需要系泊系统保证其稳性和安全性。以适用于中国南海500 m水深的振荡双浮体式波浪能发电装置为研究对象,运用频域计算与时域计算结合的方法对双浮体及其系泊系统的运动响应和动力载荷进行计算,获取极端海况与工作海况下浮体运动和系泊缆索张力的时历数据。参照BV船级社NR-493规定的海上浮式结构物系泊安全系数规范,对3种系泊方案进行安全校核和对比分析。选定其中一种系泊方案,通过改变系泊系统以及能量转换器（PTO）的参数,探究参数变化对双体波浪能装置运动响应以及系泊系统特性的影响,为类似应用于深水的双体波浪能装置系泊系统的设计提供参考。     

New Method for Predicting the Motion Responses of A Flexible Joint Multi-Body Floating System to Irregular Waves

A new hybrid method of frequency domain and time domain is developed in this paper to predict the motion responses of a flexibly joint multi-body floating system to irregular waves. The main idea of the method is that the three-dimensional frequency method is used to obtain the hydrodynamic coefficients and the response equations are solved in time domain step by step. All the forces can be obtained at the same time. The motions and nonlinear mooring forces of a box type six-body floating system are predicted. A comparison of the theoretical method-based solutions with experimental results has shown good agreement.     

Dynamic response simulation of a heavy cargo suspended by a floating crane based on multibody system dynamics

In this paper, the dynamic response simulation of heavy cargo suspended by a floating crane is performed. The dynamic equations of the motions of the floating crane and the heavy cargo must be considered by the coupled equations because the floating crane and the heavy cargo are connected by wire ropes and provide force and a moment for each other. Hence, the dynamic equations of motion are set up for considering the 6-degrees-of-freedom floating crane and the 6-degrees-of-freedom cargo based on multibody system dynamics. The nonlinear terms in the equations of motion are considered. In addition, the nonlinear hydrostatic force, the linear hydrodynamic force, the wire rope force, and the mooring force are considered as the external forces. Finally, we estimate the motion of the floating crane and the heavy cargo and also calculate the tension of the wire rope between the two.     

Nonlinear Random Motion Analysis of A Tension Leg Platform Considering the Set-down Motion of A Floating Body

The dynamic analysis of a Tension Leg Platform (TLP) in random wave is investigated by considering the set-down of a floating body. The nonlinear restoring stiffness is derived with the set-down motion of a floating body and the coupled motion of the tension leg and platform and the differential equations of the motion are established. The study focuses on the influence of the set-down motion on the nonlinear response of the platform. By considering different significant wave heights and currents, motion responses of the platform are calculated and compared. The analysis shows that the set-down motion significantly increases the heave motion with low frequency and the equilibrium position of the heave motion with the set-down motion is much lower than that without set-down motion. The results in this paper indicate that the set-down motion has a major impact on the safety of the platform inproduction operation, and it is also a threat to the strength of tension legs and risers.     

Nonlinear simulations of wave-induced motions of a freely floating body using WCSPH method

Nonlinear interactions between waves and floating bodies are investigated using the weakly compressible Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamic (WCSPH) method. An improved algorithm based on the dynamic boundary particles (DBPs) is proposed to treat the moving boundary of the floating body. The force exerted on the floating body boundary particle by the particles surrounding it is evaluated using the volume integration of the stress tensors obtained from the momentum equation in its compact support. The improved WCSPH model is validated by the experimental results. The numerical test cases of the vertical oscillation of a rectangular box, the damped rolling oscillation of a floating box and the wave forces on a fixed rectangular box are then carried out to demonstrate the performance of the proposed model. Finally the evolution in time of the dynamic response of the freely floating body under nonlinear waves are discussed and compared with experimental results.     

内孤立波中半潜平台动力响应特性

基于内孤立波mKdV理论,采用时域有限位移运动方程,结合改进的Morison公式,研究了两层流体中内孤立波与带分段式悬链系泊约束半潜平台的相互作用问题。针对东沙群岛南部海域附近某实测内孤立波特征参数,计算分析了在该内孤立波作用下SEDCO-700型半潜平台的内孤立波载荷、运动响应及其系泊张力的变化特性。研究表明,内孤立波不仅会对半潜平台产生突发性冲击载荷作用,使其产生大幅度水平漂移运动,并导致其系泊张力显著增大,因此在半潜平台等深海平台的设计与应用中,内孤立波的影响是不可忽视的。     

An Integrated Hydrodynamics and Control Model of A Tethered Underwater Robot

An integrated hydrodynamics and control model to simulate tethered underwater robot system is proposed. The governing equation of the umbilical cable is based on a finite difference method, the hydrodynamic behaviors of the underwater robot are described by the six-degrees-of-freedom equations of motion for submarine simulations, and a controller based on the fuzzy sliding mode control (FSMC) algorithm is also incorporated. Fluid motion around the main body of moving robot with running control ducted propellers is governed by the Navier–Stokes equations and these nonlinear differential equations are solved numerically via computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique. The hydrodynamics and control behaviors of the tethered underwater robot under certain designated trajectory and attitude control manipulation are then investigated based on the established hydrodynamics and control model. The results indicate that satisfactory control effect can be achieved and hydrodynamic behavior under the control operation can be observed with the model; much kinematic and dynamic information about tethered underwater robot system can be forecasted, including translational and angular motions of the robot, hydrodynamic loading on the robot, manipulation actions produced by the control propellers, the kinematic and dynamic behaviors of the umbilical cable. Since these hydrodynamic effects are fed into the proposed coupled model, the mutual hydrodynamic influences of different portions of the robot system as well as the hydrological factors of the undersea environment for the robot operation are incorporated in the model.     

Application of smoothed particle hydrodynamics for modeling the wave-moored floating breakwater interaction

The application of a Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) model to simulate the nonlinear interaction between waves and a moored floating breakwater is presented. The main aim is to predict and validate the response of the moored floating structure under the action of periodic waves. The Euler equations together with an artificial viscosity are used as the governing equations to describe the flow field. The motion of the moored floating body is described using the Newton’s second law of motion. The interactions between the waves and structures are modeled by setting a series of SPH particles on the boundary of the structure. The hydrodynamic forces acting on the floating body are evaluated by summing up the interacting forces on the boundary particles from the neighboring fluid particles. The water surface elevations, the movements of the floating body and the moored forces are all calculated and compared with the available experimental data. Good agreements are obtained for the dynamic response and hydrodynamic performance of the floating body. The numerical results of different immersion depths of the floating body are compared with that of the corresponding fixed body. The effects of the relative length and the density of the structure on the performance of the floating body are analyzed.     

Inertial and hydrodynamic inertial loads on floating units

The analysis of the dynamic behavior of floating units usually employs a coordinate system with origin in the unit's center of gravity, which significantly simplifies the global mass matrix. Hydrodynamic coefficients are then computed considering the same coordinate system. However, to analyze other conditions of mass distribution and maintain the simplicity of a global mass matrix, it is necessary to determine again the hydrodynamic coefficients, thereby reducing the efficiency of the entire process. Another important point is that the geometries frequently used in floating units are such that the cross-terms of an added mass are relatively unimportant when compared with the main terms, and it is, therefore, common to use only some of them to analyze the unit's dynamic behavior. Recently, however, in the search for production systems suitable for water depths greater than 3000 m, other geometries have been considered in technical and economic feasibility studies. It is possible that for these new geometries all terms of the added mass matrix must be included in the analysis. This paper presents the full development used to determine the complete global mass matrix, the inertial and hydrodynamic inertial loads that make use of the added mass matrices considering any coordinate system and the six degrees of freedom, including all cross-terms.     

新型半潜式海上风力机基础水动力特性研究

概念性地设计了一种新型半潜式海上风力机基础,确定了结构的型式和尺寸,对风浪联合作用下不同工况的风力机基础稳性进行了校核.考虑黏性阻尼和二阶波浪力的作用,计算分析了风力机基础的水动力系数、幅频运动以及动力响应特性.结果表明,经过改进的新型风力机基础具有良好的稳性和水动力性能,特别是在垂荡性能上有大幅的提升.波浪入射角度对垂荡的影响不大,但对其他自由度RAOs影响较大.垂荡、横摇和纵摇RAOs均存在一个主峰值和次峰值,但峰值周期均远离波能集中区.此外还发现,不同工况下风浪入射角对风机系统的动力响应和系泊力均有较大影响,相对于工作工况,极端工况下所受风荷载较小,但是系泊力更大.     

Damage Identification of A TLP Floating Wind Turbine by Meta-Heuristic Algorithms

Damage identification of the offshore floating wind turbine by vibration/dynamic signals is one of the important and new research fields in the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). In this paper a new damage identification method is proposed based on meta-heuristic algorithms using the dynamic response of the TLP (Tension-Leg Platform) floating wind turbine structure. The Genetic Algorithms (GA), Artificial Immune System (AIS), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) are chosen for minimizing the object function, defined properly for damage identification purpose. In addition to studying the capability of mentioned algorithms in correctly identifying the damage, the effect of the response type on the results of identification is studied. Also, the results of proposed damage identification are investigated with considering possible uncertainties of the structure. Finally, for evaluating the proposed method in real condition, a 1/100 scaled experimental setup of TLP Floating Wind Turbine (TLPFWT) is provided in a laboratory scale and the proposed damage identification method is applied to the scaled turbine.     

Damage Identification of A TLP Floating Wind Turbine by Meta-Heuristic Algorithms

Damage identification of the offshore floating wind turbine by vibration/dynamic signals is one of the important and new research fields in the Structural Health Monitoring(SHM). In this paper a new damage identification method is proposed based on meta-heuristic algorithms using the dynamic response of the TLP(Tension-Leg Platform) floating wind turbine structure. The Genetic Algorithms(GA), Artificial Immune System(AIS), Particle Swarm Optimization(PSO), and Artificial Bee Colony(ABC) are chosen for minimizing the object function, defined properly for damage identification purpose. In addition to studying the capability of mentioned algorithms in correctly identifying the damage, the effect of the response type on the results of identification is studied. Also, the results of proposed damage identification are investigated with considering possible uncertainties of the structure. Finally, for evaluating the proposed method in real condition, a 1/100 scaled experimental setup of TLP Floating Wind Turbine(TLPFWT) is provided in a laboratory scale and the proposed damage identification method is applied to the scaled turbine.