A monolithic finite element formulation for the hydroelastic analysis of very large floating structures

Journal Article (2022)
Author(s)

Oriol Colomés (TU Delft - Offshore Engineering)

Francesc Verdugo (International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

Ido Akkerman (TU Delft - Ship Hydromechanics and Structures)

Research Group
Offshore Engineering
Copyright
© 2022 Oriol Colomés, Francesc Verdugo, I. Akkerman
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1002/nme.7140
More Info
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Publication Year
2022
Language
English
Copyright
© 2022 Oriol Colomés, Francesc Verdugo, I. Akkerman
Research Group
Offshore Engineering
Issue number
3
Volume number
124
Pages (from-to)
714-751
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Abstract

In this work we present a novel monolithic Finite Element method for the hydroelastic analysis of very large floating structures (VLFS) with arbitrary shapes that is stable, energy conserving, and overcomes the need of an iterative algorithm. The new formulation enables a fully monolithic solution of the linear free-surface flow, described by linear potential flow, coupled with floating thin structures, described by the Euler–Bernoulli beam or Poisson–Kirchhoff plate equations. The formulation presented in this work is general in the sense that solutions can be found in the frequency and time domains, it overcomes the need of using elements with (Formula presented.) continuity by employing a continuous/discontinuous Galerkin approach, and it is suitable for finite elements of arbitrary order. We show that the proposed approach can accurately describe the hydroelastic phenomena of VLFS with a variety of tests, including structures with elastic joints, variable bathymetry, and arbitrary structural shapes.