Sea trials of Sigma wave energy converter – slacking and snapping of TLP mooring lines

Sigma Energy has performed its foremost prototype tests of scaled wave energy converter in a real sea environment. The prototype was a point absorber with a cylindrical buoy, a mechanical power take-off system with a counterweight, moored to the seabed as a tension leg platform (TLP) with three equal tendons. In these extensive experiments, numerous device characteristics were measured and analysed. The present paper focuses on the dynamic forces in the mooring lines, and some unexpected and rare data obtained. It is well known that TLP tendons are prone to a brief loss of tension (the slacking) and that, after such events, high snapping forces of short duration can arise. Partly by intention, and partly due to underestimation of the dynamical forces, several such slacking-snapping incidents were recorded during the experiments. In some severe storms, the snapping forces were up to six times higher than the tendon pretension. The paper presents several recordings of dynamic forces and platform motion during these critical events. It analysis them, and gives a typical scenario under which they occur. It gives also some theoretical explanations, and numerical predictions of dynamical tendon forces, with their comparison to the experimental results.     

Influence of external restraint distribution on welding buckling of thin plate butt joint北大核心CSCD

［Objectives］It is easy to produce buckling distortion when welding thin plate butt joints, which affects the construction period, cost and performance, but this can be controlled by applying external restraints. ［Methods ］ First, a butt welding test of a thin plate under external restraints is carried out, and the out-of-plane deformation is measured by the optical surface scanning method. At the same time, finite element (FE) models in a free state and external restraint state are established, and the thermal mechanical phenomena of the two models are subjected to thermal-elastic-plastic FE analysis (TEP FE). The influence of different external restraint distributions on the welding buckling distortion of the joints is then studied, and reasons for controlling welding buckling distortion are analyzed from the perspective of longitudinal plastic strain and longitudinal contraction force.［Results ］ The out-of-plane deformation of the corresponding model is in good agreement with the measured results, and milder than the out-of-plane deformation of the model in a free state. When external restraints are applied, the longitudinal plastic strain of the weld and its adjacent metal decreases, and the longitudinal contraction force of the thin plate also decreases.［Conclusions ］ The results verify that external restraints can effectively control welding buckling distortion, and the control effects are different depending on the external restraint distribution. © 2023 Chinese Journal of Ship Research. All rights reserved.     

双船法联合起重支撑结构的设计与分析

为双船法（Twin Marine Lifter，TML）联合起重拆解大型海上油田设施设计一种可调节气隙的支撑结构，该结构便于安装和拆卸，对施工船舶的船体吃水性能要求低。建立支撑结构的有限元模型，进行强度校核和屈曲校核，给出支撑结构的应力分布和各杆件利用率。设计方案和分析方法可为拆解大型海上结构物专用装备的设计提供参考。