Time-domain, shallow-water hydroelastic analysis of VLFS elastically connected to the seabed

Angeliki Karperaki*, Kostas Belibassakis, Theodosios Papathanasiou

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

In order to ensure the safe operation of a VLFS, a combination of mooring, breakwater and other motion reducing systems is employed. In the present work, the transient hydroelastic response of a floating, thin elastic plate, elastically connected to the seabed, is examined. The plate is modelled as an Euler-Bernoulli strip, while the linearized shallow water equations are used for the hydrodynamic modelling. Elastic connectors are approximated by a series of simple spring-dashpot systems positioned along the strip. A higher order finite element scheme is employed for the calculation of the hydroelastic response of the strip-connector configuration over the shallow bathymetry. After the definition of the initial-boundary value problem, its variational form is derived and discussed. Next, on the basis of the aforementioned formulation, an energy balance expression is obtained. The effect of variable bathymetry on the response of a two connector-strip system is examined by means of three seabed profiles featuring a flat bottom, an upslope and a downslope environment. For the flat bottom case, the strip response mitigating effect exerted by the employment of two and three elastic connectors is considered. Finally, by means of the derived energy balance equation, the energy exchange is monitored, providing a valuable insight into the transient phenomena that take place in the studied configurations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)33-51
Number of pages19
JournalMarine Structures
Volume48
Early online date13 May 2016
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2016

Bibliographical note

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd.

Funding Information:
The present work has been supported by the project HYDELFS funded by the Operational Program “Education and Lifelong Learning” of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF 2007–2013) -Research Funding Program ARHIMEDES-III: Investing in knowledge society through the European Social Fund . In particular, author Theodosios K. Papathanasiou acknowledges support from the aforementioned program for the period from 6/9/2012 to 30/09/2014.

Keywords

  • FEM
  • Shallow water
  • Transient hydroelastic analysis
  • Variable bathymetry
  • VLFS

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Time-domain, shallow-water hydroelastic analysis of VLFS elastically connected to the seabed'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this