Advances in Marine Structures

A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Ocean Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 July 2023) | Viewed by 13618

Special Issue Editor

Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Marine Engineering, University of Strathclyde, 100 Montrose Street, Glasgow G4 0LZ, UK
Interests: digital twins; structural health monitoring; structural analysis of offshore renewable energy devices; additive manufacturing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Structural mechanics is an important field of engineering. The main goal of structural mechanics research is to ensure that structures are safe and durable enough to prevent catastrophic situations which can cause loss of lives, environmental pollution, and financial losses. Depending on the use of the structure and the conditions that it is subjected to, it requires a special treatment during analysis. Specifically, marine structures are subjected to harsh environmental conditions due to the marine environment, which can cause several different damage mechanisms, including damages due to fatigue and corrosion. This Special Issue on “Advances in Marine Structures” will consider a wide range of areas related to marine structures, including but not limited to:

  • Structural analysis of ship structures;
  • Structural analysis of offshore platforms;
  • Structural analysis of naval vessels;
  • Structural analysis of pipelines and subsea systems;
  • Risk- and reliability-based approaches applied to marine structures;
  • Structural health monitoring of marine structures;
  • Corrosion;
  • Ice–structure interactions;
  • Collision mechanics;
  • Inspection and repair of marine structures;
  • Fatigue and fracture;
  • Marine composites.

This Special Issue will provide a compilation of numerical, experimental, and analytical studies related to research on “Advances in Marine Structures”.

Prof. Dr. Erkan Oterkus
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • marine structures
  • fracture mechanics
  • corrosion
  • structural health monitoring
  • marine composites
  • ice-structure interactions

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

30 pages, 10869 KiB  
Article
Application of Discrete Element Method Coupled with Computational Fluid Dynamics to Predict the Erosive Wear Behavior of Arctic Vessel Hulls Subjected to Ice Impacts
by Sung-Je Lee and Jang Hyun Lee
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(9), 1774; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11091774 - 11 Sep 2023
Viewed by 912
Abstract
Marine vessels operating on the Arctic Sea route are constantly prone to collisions and friction with ice. This study discusses the wear of the hull plate caused by the collision of ice against vessels operating in Arctic Sea routes. The abrasive wear of [...] Read more.
Marine vessels operating on the Arctic Sea route are constantly prone to collisions and friction with ice. This study discusses the wear of the hull plate caused by the collision of ice against vessels operating in Arctic Sea routes. The abrasive wear of the hull due to ice impact was numerically assessed based on both the incident behavior of ice particles interacting with the flow around the hull and the wear loss of the hull surface caused by the contact force of ice particles. A multi-phase approach was adopted to account for the behavior of ice particles continuously affected by the fluid force around the hull. The fluid force acting on the ice floe was evaluated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and the dynamic motion of the drift ice was evaluated using the discrete element method (DEM). The motion of the floating ice particles was updated in real time by iteratively coupling the fluid force and the motion of the ice floe at each time step of the numerical simulation. The results of the wear simulation models were presented in terms of the shape change of the hull surface due to wear. At first, the wear was evaluated for cases in which only the surface paint of the hull was damaged. Thereafter, a computation model considering the shape change of the hull surface experiencing long-term friction of ice particles was introduced. Finally, the numerical procedures to predict the abrasive wear of the hull surface by ice impact were discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Marine Structures)
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25 pages, 7822 KiB  
Article
Compressive–Flexural Failure Mechanism and Bearing Capacity Calculation of Over-Ranging Tapered CFDST Members for Support Structures of Offshore Wind Turbines
by Jian-Tao Wang, Xiang-Hong Liu, Qing Sun and Yu-Wei Li
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(8), 1621; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11081621 - 19 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 914
Abstract
Upon the higher requirement on high-performance structures of large-scale supporting structures of offshore wind turbines, the systematic analysis on the compressive-flexural behavior and ultimate bearing capacity of tapered concrete-filled double skin steel tubular (CFDST) members designed by over-ranging parameters was performed. Investigating the [...] Read more.
Upon the higher requirement on high-performance structures of large-scale supporting structures of offshore wind turbines, the systematic analysis on the compressive-flexural behavior and ultimate bearing capacity of tapered concrete-filled double skin steel tubular (CFDST) members designed by over-ranging parameters was performed. Investigating the entire-process mechanism, e.g., the moment–deformation response, stress development, interaction stress, and subassembly contribution, was based on the finite element (FE) analysis, where the moment–deformation curve can be distinguished by four characteristic points, and the transverse local buckling of outer tube partly weakens distribution height of interface pressure in compression zone compared to that in tension zone. Influences of material strengths and geometric parameters were examined by the parametric study, e.g., increasing tapered angle (ψ) slightly reduces the bearing capacity; the higher axial compression ratio (n) contributes a noteworthy action on the post-peak behavior and carrying capacity, e.g., the bearing capacities at n = 0.9 and n = 0.5 reduce by 64.14% and 18.44% compared to capacity at n = 0.1, respectively; influence of Do/to ratio is more significant than Di/ti ratio. Subsequently, the modified cross-sectional stress integration (CSI) method was proposed to predict the moment–strain (M-ε) curves of tapered CFDST members; meanwhile, a confined concrete model with transverse confinement stress as an explicit parameter was modified, and influences of different confined concrete models on predicting M-ε curves were compared. Finally, design methods based on the modified CSI method and limit state method were proposed as a simplified calculation method to determine the correlative relationship of axial compressive strength and moment-resisting capacity (N-M curve). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Marine Structures)
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17 pages, 7173 KiB  
Article
Simulation of a Ship’s Block Panel Assembly Process: Optimizing Production Processes and Costs through Welding Robots
by Sufian Imam Wahidi, Selda Oterkus and Erkan Oterkus
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(8), 1506; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11081506 - 29 Jul 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1106
Abstract
Conventional welding techniques for complex structures often rely on human involvement, which can be prone to errors when deviations from the planned process occur. In contrast, robotic welding is highly precise and effective, particularly in the assembly of complex structures such as double-bottom [...] Read more.
Conventional welding techniques for complex structures often rely on human involvement, which can be prone to errors when deviations from the planned process occur. In contrast, robotic welding is highly precise and effective, particularly in the assembly of complex structures such as double-bottom ships. Therefore, this paper presents a comprehensive technical and economic analysis comparing robotic welding to conventional welding in the assembly process of a ship’s block panels. The study aims to evaluate and compare the strategies employed in robotic welding and conventional welding, with a specific focus on the ship double-bottom context. Furthermore, an economic value analysis is conducted to assess the cost effectiveness of each approach. The analysis reveals that robotic welding can achieve a significantly faster welding speed, completing the process approximately 3.85 times quicker compared to conventional methods. Moreover, the ratio of electricity and man-hours between robot welding and conventional welding is 1:2.75. These findings highlight the potential for cost savings by implementing robotic welding processes. The analysis reveals a significant difference in operational costs, highlighting the efficiency and cost effectiveness of robotic welding compared to conventional methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Marine Structures)
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18 pages, 7475 KiB  
Article
Flexible Riser Tensile Armor Modelling Method and Application to Fatigue Analysis
by Ning Zhang, Sen Li, Baojiang Sun, Chloe Huang, Kevin Huang, Yuyang Zeng and Chengcheng Liu
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(8), 1500; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11081500 - 27 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 951
Abstract
In this paper, we present a new stress calculation method for flexible structures, particularly, tensile armors, and apply it to flexible riser fatigue analysis. The method is based on a 3-dimensional curved bar theory. First, the tensile armor center line was described as [...] Read more.
In this paper, we present a new stress calculation method for flexible structures, particularly, tensile armors, and apply it to flexible riser fatigue analysis. The method is based on a 3-dimensional curved bar theory. First, the tensile armor center line was described as a cylindrical helix curve; its bent curve length and bending migration length were derived and studied under different friction scenarios. Second, the tensile and bending stiffness was derived with consideration of more accurate shape parameters and the frictional hysteretic effect, and verified through FEA analysis results. Third, we presented the stress calculation formula for tensile armor under tension and bending load. All stress components were considered, including tensile, bending and shear stresses. Fourth, the method was benchmarked with published experimental results on a flexible prototype tension and bending tests, and comparisons showed general agreements. Fifth, the method was applied to an in-service 8″ flexible riser for fatigue assessment and lifetime extension evaluation, and showed the flexible riser has sufficient remaining fatigue life, and is suitable to continue its service under the current operating conditions. Last, conclusions were drawn. We concluded that the presented tensile armor stress calculation method and modelling techniques are valid for flexible riser fatigue analysis. This method is time efficient, and can be implemented into other multi-scale models for riser dynamic analysis. It is also applicable to other similar helix structure stress analysis, such as wire ropes, submarine hoses, and subsea umbilicals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Marine Structures)
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16 pages, 7629 KiB  
Article
Physics-Based Modelling for On-Line Condition Monitoring of a Marine Engine System
by Chao Fu, Kuan Lu, Qian Li, Yuandong Xu, Fengshou Gu, Andrew D. Ball and Zhaoli Zheng
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(6), 1241; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11061241 - 17 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1176
Abstract
The engine system is critical for a marine vehicle, and its performance significantly affects the efficiency and safety of the whole ship. Due to the harsh working environment and the complex system structure, a marine system is prone to have many kinds of [...] Read more.
The engine system is critical for a marine vehicle, and its performance significantly affects the efficiency and safety of the whole ship. Due to the harsh working environment and the complex system structure, a marine system is prone to have many kinds of novelties and faults. Timely detection of faults via effective condition monitoring is vital for such systems, avoiding serious damage and economic loss. However, it is difficult to realize online monitoring because of the limitations of measurement and health monitoring methods. In this paper, a marine engine system simulator is set up with enhanced sensory placement for static and dynamic data collection. The test rig and processing for static and dynamic data are described. Then, a physics-based multivariate modeling method is proposed for the health monitoring of the system. Case studies are carried out considering the misfire fault and the exhaust valve leakage fault. In the misfire fault test, the exhaust gas temperature of the misfired cylinder dropped from the confidence interval 100–150 °C to 70–80 °C and the head vibration features decreased from the confidence interval 900–1300 m/s2 to around 200–300 m/s2. For the exhaust valve leakage fault, the engine body vibration main bearing impact RMS increased nearly 10 times. Comparisons between the model-predicted confidence interval and measured data reveal that the proposed model based on the fault-related static and dynamic features successfully identified the two faults and their positions, proving the effectiveness of the proposed framework. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Marine Structures)
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18 pages, 5993 KiB  
Article
Structural Design of the Substructure of a 10 MW Floating Offshore Wind Turbine System Using Dominant Load Parameters
by Sungjun Park and Joonmo Choung
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(5), 1048; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11051048 - 14 May 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2740
Abstract
Fully coupled integrated load analyses (ILAs) to evaluate not only the load response but also the structural integrity are required to design a floating offshore wind turbine, since there has been no firmly established approach for obtaining the structural responses of a FOWT [...] Read more.
Fully coupled integrated load analyses (ILAs) to evaluate not only the load response but also the structural integrity are required to design a floating offshore wind turbine, since there has been no firmly established approach for obtaining the structural responses of a FOWT substructure in the time domain. This study aimed to explore if a direct strength analysis (DSA) technique that has been widely used for ships and offshore structures can adequately evaluate the FOWT substructure. In this study, acceleration and nacelle thrust were used for the dominant load parameters for DSA. The turbine thrust corresponding to the 50-year return period was taken from the literature. The acceleration response amplitude operator (RAO) was obtained through frequency response hydrodynamic analysis. The short-term sea states defined by the wave scatter diagram (WSD) of the expected installation area was represented by the JONSWAP wave spectrum. To account for the multi-directionality of the short-crested waves, the 0th order moments of the wave spectrum were corrected. The probabilities of each short-term sea state and each wave incidence angle were applied to derive the long-term acceleration for each return period. DSA cases were generated by combining the long-term acceleration and nacelle thrust to maximize the forces in the surge, sway, and heave directions. Linear spring elements were placed under the three outer columns of the substructure to provide soft constraints for hive, roll, and pitch motions. Nonlinear spring elements with initial tension were placed on the three fairlead chain stoppers (FCSs) to simulate the station-keeping ability of the mooring lines; they provided initial tension in the slacked position and an increased tension in the taut position. The structural strength evaluation of the coarse mesh finite element model with an element size same as the stiffener spacing showed that high stresses exceeding the permissible stresses occurred in the unstable members of the substructure. The high stress areas were re-evaluated using a fine mesh finite element model with an element size of 50 mm × 50 mm. The scope of structural reinforcement was identified from the fine mesh analyses. It was found that the DSA can be properly utilized for the substructure strength assessment of a FOWT. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Marine Structures)
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17 pages, 6743 KiB  
Article
An Analytical Dynamic Model for Vibration Suppression of a Multi-Span Continuous Bridge by Tuned Mass Dampers
by Jin Wei, Wei Liu, Peixin Gao and Yujie Ding
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(5), 1017; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11051017 - 10 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1030
Abstract
In this paper, an analytical dynamic model is proposed for vibration suppression of a multi-span continuous bridge by tuned mass dampers (TMDs). Firstly, the partial differential equations (PDEs) that govern the motion of the multi-span continuous bridge and the TMDs are obtained, respectively. [...] Read more.
In this paper, an analytical dynamic model is proposed for vibration suppression of a multi-span continuous bridge by tuned mass dampers (TMDs). Firstly, the partial differential equations (PDEs) that govern the motion of the multi-span continuous bridge and the TMDs are obtained, respectively. According to the matching conditions and the boundary conditions, the mode shapes of the multi-span continuous bridge are derived, and the orthogonality relations of the mode shapes are proven. By using the mode shapes and their orthogonality relations, the PDEs that govern the motion of the bridge and the TMDs are truncated into the ordinary differential equations (ODEs) that describe the motion of the entire system. To verify the proposed model, the natural frequencies solved by the frequency equation are compared with those obtained by the finite element software ANSYS. According to the ODEs in this model, the dynamical responses of the system are worked out to study the influence of the location and the number of TMDs on the vibration suppression of the bridge. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Marine Structures)
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26 pages, 10600 KiB  
Article
A Small Floating Platform Designed for Unmanned Defense System
by Zonglai Mo, Kefeng Xie, Fengcheng Zhao, Jun Li and Yanjun Li
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(2), 278; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11020278 - 26 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1352
Abstract
A small floating platform designed for an unmanned short-range defense system is proposed. The structures of the proposed floating platform and weapon system are detailed and described. The floating platform is investigated via virtual prototype technology in the aspects of the platform motion [...] Read more.
A small floating platform designed for an unmanned short-range defense system is proposed. The structures of the proposed floating platform and weapon system are detailed and described. The floating platform is investigated via virtual prototype technology in the aspects of the platform motion under sea waves of up to Beaufort wind and Douglas sea (wind-sea) scale 5. The motion equations of the floating platform are established according to the ship motion theory, and the movement of the floating platform under different wind-sea scales are simulated and analysed via multi-body fluid dynamics analysis software. To decide the proper size of the platform, the dynamic response of the floating platforms with different sizes is analysed and evaluated under various sea conditions based on multi-body dynamics. A scaled model experiment was conducted and compared with simulation results to verify the theoretical model. A verification experiment was also conducted in a water tank for the performance of the platform via simulated wave disturbance. Results show that the designed floating platform could provide a stable platform in the horizontal direction under a wind-sea scale 3 environment for the defense weapon system, which well meets the design requirement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Marine Structures)
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18 pages, 6023 KiB  
Article
Model Tests on Cyclic Responses of a Laterally Loaded Pile Considering Sand Anisotropy and Scouring
by Feng Yu, Chenrong Zhang, Maosong Huang, Xiaofeng Yang and Zhaoming Yao
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(2), 255; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11020255 - 20 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1089
Abstract
Monopile is a common foundation for offshore wind turbines. Long-term cyclic loading from winds and currents may affect the normal operation of offshore wind turbines. For offshore wind farms, natural soils are usually inherently anisotropic, and scouring often occurs as a removal of [...] Read more.
Monopile is a common foundation for offshore wind turbines. Long-term cyclic loading from winds and currents may affect the normal operation of offshore wind turbines. For offshore wind farms, natural soils are usually inherently anisotropic, and scouring often occurs as a removal of soil around a monopile. Their influence on pile behavior is seldom studied. To investigate the effects of anisotropy of sand and scouring on a cyclic laterally loaded pile, a series of 1 g model tests are conducted, in which three deposition angles of sand, two scour depths, and two cyclic amplitudes are considered. It was found that for a monopile in sandy soil, the accumulated displacements at the pile head increased with the increased deposition angles of sand and scour depth. The effects of sand anisotropy are more profound for piles with a smaller cyclic amplitude. However, the results for the pile with and without scouring did not give a consistent tendency as the factors of anisotropy of sand. Based on test results, an explicit expression is advised to assess the long-term accumulated residual displacement at the pile head, in which factors of deposition angle of sand, scour depth, and cyclic amplitudes are incorporated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Marine Structures)
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27 pages, 15008 KiB  
Article
Research on The Chloride Diffusion Modified Model for Marine Concretes with Nanoparticles under The Action of Multiple Environmental Factors
by Zhengyi Lv, Maohua Zhang and Yanyu Sun
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2022, 10(12), 1852; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10121852 - 01 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1151
Abstract
Marine concrete structures are subject to the action of multiple environments during their service time. This leads to increased deterioration in the durability of marine concretes under the combined action of bending load and dry–wet cycles, salt freeze–thaw cycles, and salt spray erosion. [...] Read more.
Marine concrete structures are subject to the action of multiple environments during their service time. This leads to increased deterioration in the durability of marine concretes under the combined action of bending load and dry–wet cycles, salt freeze–thaw cycles, and salt spray erosion. The main reason for the damage of concrete under the action of the above three environments is Cl- attack. The free Cl- content (Cl-f) and the free Cl- diffusion coefficient (Df) of concrete can explain the diffusion of Cl- in concrete. This paper considers the actual environment of marine concrete structures and develops the Cl- diffusion modified model for nano-marine concretes under the action of dry–wet cycles, salt freeze–thaw cycles, and bending load and salt spray erosion. The nano-SiO2, nano-Fe2O3, and nano-Fe3O4 were firstly incorporated into ordinary marine concrete, then the Cl- content of each group of marine concrete was measured at different depths, and the Cl- diffusion coefficients were calculated; finally, the Cl- diffusion modified model was established under different environmental factors. The test results show that the total and free Cl- diffusion coefficients of nano-marine concretes were lower than those of ordinary marine concrete, and the nano-SiO2, nano-Fe2O3, and nano-Fe3O4 of the optimum dosage were 2%, 1%, and 2%, respectively. The fitting results of Cl- content have a good correlation, and the correlation coefficient (R) is basically above 0.98. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Marine Structures)
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