Efficient time-domain approach for hydroelastic-structural analysis including hydrodynamic pressure distribution on a moored SFT

Abstract

This study investigates the hydroelastic analysis of a moored SFT (submerged floating tunnel) and the corresponding hydrodynamic pressure distribution under wave excitations. Time-domain discrete-module-beam (DMB) method, in which an elastic structure is modeled by multiple sub-bodies with beam elements, is employed to express the deformable tunnel with multiple mooring lines. Moreover, the top-down scheme is also adopted for detailed structure analyses with less computational cost, which applies the calculated hydrodynamic pressure distribution over SFT's surface to the three-dimensional finite element model. The hydrodynamic pressure includes both wave-induced diffraction pressure and motion-induced radiation pressure. For the validation of the developed numerical approach, comparisons are made with computationally intensive hydroelastic-structural direct-coupled method, two-dimensional wave flume experi-ment, and independently developed inhouse moored-SFT-simulation program. Furthermore, the influences of flexural motions with buoyancy-weight ratio (BWR) (or bending stiffness) and regular/irregular wave conditions on the dynamic pressure distribution and the resulting local stresses are investigated.