Author(s): James Sutherland; Karl-Ulrich Evers
Linked Author(s): James Sutherland
Keywords: HYDRALAB; Physical modelling; Force; Structure; Foresight study
Abstract: The measurement of wave and / or ice loads on coastal and maritime structures can play an important role in their final design. The number and range of man-made structures that are subject to these loads is increasing – from offshore oil and gas facilities, through ships and, renewable energy devices, to breakwaters, quay walls, bridges and tunnels. This paper summarises the results of a Foresight Study, available from www. hydralab. eu, which reviewed techniques for making physical model measurements of wave and ice loads on marine structures, summarised their weaknesses and outlined the advances in modelling techniques that the authors expect to see. The anticipated short-term advances include the development of sampling schemes to allow shorter test series to be run, incremental advances in the methods for computing the low-frequency response of floating structures, wave-generation techniques in shallow water (including tsunamis) and optical / acoustic devices for making measurements over surfaces or in 3D volumes. In addition we expect improvements in the usefulness of tactile pressure sensors to measure forces that vary in space and time and a widening of the range of active transducers to reproduce non-linear responses. The longer-term (more speculative) changes that are anticipated include (i) the development of composite models with full two-way coupling between numerical and physical models in real time, (ii) increased use of physical models with CFD, (iii) the provision of much more detailed datasets due to improvements in sensor size, resolution, sampling frequency and spatial coverage, (iv) the development of the active laboratory, with many more computer-controlled non-linear devices, (v) improved treatment of uncertainty; and (vi) improved data access through development of data standards and data-transfer techniques.
Year: 2013