Longitudinal strength of a high-speed ferry

The longitudinal strength of the high-speed ferry was investigated by subjecting the ship's hull girder to long-term loads obtained from a frequency-domain panel code. Prior to the statistical analysis, linearly computed transfer functions were corrected for nonlinear effects, yielding two sets of transfer functions valid for different wave amplitudes. One set corresponded to the hogging condition; the other set, to the sagging condition. Two regular equivalent design waves were specified that resulted in loads representing the most severe global design load conditions. The still-water loading condition, yielding a still-water vertical bending moment in hogging, was superimposed on the wave-induced loads to obtain the total (design) loads in hogging. For the sagging condition only, additional impact-related loads were superimposed to obtain the total (design) loads in sagging. A finite element model of the ship's structure was subjected to pressure distributions according to the two regular design waves. For comparison with classification society rule values, a simple beam theory strength analysis of the ship's midship section was performed first, and then another finite element analysis was carried out, whereby the imposed loads were tuned to the rule values of vertical bending moments. Rule-based magnitudes of nominal maximum longitudinal stress deviated significantly (25–39%) from comparable stresses obtained by the panel code based finite element analysis. However, stresses obtained from the rule-based finite element analysis agreed more favorably, especially in hogging. In the uppermost deck, for example, the panel code based compressive stress was only 9% larger than the comparable stress from the rule-based finite element analysis.     

Modeling of Multi-Freedom Ship Motions in Irregular Waves with Fuzzy Neural Networks

1 .IntroductionAshiptravelingatseaundergoesundesirablewave inducedmotions ,namely ,surge ,sway ,heav ing ,rolling ,pitchingandyaw .Thesemotionsoftencauseproblemstothecrew ,theonboardequip mentand ,intheworstcase ,thesafetyofthevessel.Tominimizethewave inducedshipmotions ,controlsystemsmaybeapplied .Theaccuratemodelingofshipmotionsisthereforeveryimportantforshipdesignanddesignofmotioncontrolsystems .Manyresearchershavedevelopedshipmotionpredictionmethodsbasedonthepotentialflowtheo ries (Dong ,…     

Modal Wave Number Tomography for South China Sea Front

1 .IntroductionTheSouthChinaSealiestothesoutheastpartoftheChinesecontinent.TheKuroshioflowsbytheeastsideoftheLuzonStraitfromsouthtonorthinwinter ,spring ,andautumn .TheKuroshioaf fectsnearcurrentfieldsandtemperaturefields,changingtheoceanenvironmentparametersandsoundpropagation .Thus ,theoceanacoustictomographytechniqueisofpotentialtolong term ,largescalemonitoringoftheocean .Themodalwavenumbertomographymethod (Rajanetal.,1 987;Frisketal.,1 989)isusedtoobtainthesoundspeedprofileinwatercol…     

A New Probability of Detection Model for Updating Crack Distribution of Offshore Structures

1 .IntroductionNondestructiveinspection (NDI)isveryimportantforensuringthereliabilityofoffshorestructuresintheirservicelives (Lauraetal.,1 996 ) .Itiswellknownthatdetectionofflawsinvolvesconsider ablestatisticaluncertainties.Asaresult,theprobabilityofdetection (POD)forallflawsofagivensizehasbeenusedintheliteraturetodefinethecapabilityofaparticularNDItechniqueinagivenen vironment.SincethedataofPODusuallyscatterlargely ,itisdifficulttodeterminewhichmodelfitstheavailabledatabest.Thismodelun…     

Long-Period Distribution of Wave Heights and Its Application

This paper reveals that the long-period statistic distribution of the characteristic heights of deep-water waves assumes the lognormal distribution. Thereafter, the largest wave-height which may occur in the service life of coastal structures is derived in this paper.     

Stability Design System of Submarine Pipelines

This paper introduces a stability design system of submarine pipelines. The system can provide a reasonable design procedure for users with reference to domestic and foreign methods and in the light of home engineering experience.     

Quaternary geology of the Amazonian Lowland

The Quaternary history of the Amazon lowlands is characterized by deposition of sediments of Andean provenance and by the influences of changing sea levels. Areas well above the present water tables were not reached by Pleistocene high-water stages. These areas have been intensively weathered since the Tertiary, forming hard lateritic weathering horizons. These weathering horizons are best explained by the relatively constant, humid tropical climate throughout the Quaternary. In the western Amazonian Lowland, flood plains corresponding to the different Pleistocene sea-level heights were formed. During low sea level, erosion in the drainage areas increased and the water levels of the central Amazon River system were lowered. Valleys drowned and lakes formed in the lower reaches of rivers and creeks during high sea-level stages. These lakes (ria lakes) remained in the valleys with rivers having a low sediment load. Seismic profiling (3.5 kHz) in some of these lakes clearly showed deposits of the three last periods of Quaternary high sea-level stages.     

A New Approach to High-Order Boussinesq-Type Equations with Ambient Currents

A new approach to high-order Boussinesq-type equations with ambient currents is presented. The current velocity is assumed to be uniform over depth and of the same magnitude as the shallow water wave celerity. The wave velocity field is expressed in terms of the horizontal and vertical wave velocity components at an arbitrary water depth level. Linear operators are introduced to improve the accuracy of the kinematic condition at the sea bottom. The dynamic and kinematic conditions at the free surface are expressed in terms of wave velocity variables defined directly on the free surface. The new equations provide high accuracy of linear properties as well as nonlinear properties from shallow to deep water, and extend the applicable range of relative water depth in the case of opposing currents.     

Fuzzy Fatigue Reliability Analysis of Offshore Platforms in Ice-Infested Waters

1 .IntroductionTheBohaiGulfisinfestedbyiceinthewholewinter,andoffshorestructuresthereexperiencenotonlywind ,waves ,currentsandearthquake ,butalsoiceloadswhicharecomplicatedbecauseofthedynamicinteractionbetweenicesheetsandstructures.Duanetal.( 2 0 0 0 )hadacomprehensivere viewofthelatestadvancesonice inducedvibration ,fatigueandfractureofoffshorestructures ,payingmuchattentiontothedifferencesinicebreakingmodeanddynamicsofstructuresindifferentice in festedwaters .Theypresentedcriticallythelates…     

Paleoenvironment and sea-level change in the early Cretaceous Barents Sea—implications from near-shore marine sapropels

The late Volgian (early "Boreal" Berriasian) sapropels of the Hekkingen Formation of the central Barents Sea show total organic carbon (TOC) contents from 3 to 36 wt%. The relationship between TOC content and sedimentation rate (SR), and the high Mo/Al ratios indicate deposition under oxygen-free bottom-water conditions, and suggest that preservation under anoxic conditions has largely contributed to the high accumulation of organic carbon. Hydrogen index values obtained from Rock-Eval pyrolysis are exceptionally high, and the organic matter is characterized by well-preserved type II kerogen. However, the occurrence of spores, freshwater algae, coal fragments, and charred land-plant remains strongly suggests proximity to land. Short-term oscillations, probably reflecting Milankovitch-type cyclicity, are superimposed on the long-term trend of constantly changing depositional conditions during most of the late Volgian. Progressively smaller amounts of terrestrial organic matter and larger amounts of marine organic matter upwards in the core section may have been caused by a continuous sea-level rise.