Study on the Dynamic Responses of a Large Caisson during Wet-Towing Transportation

Abstract

Large caissons are extensively applied as deep-water foundations in marine engineering. In fact, caissons are generally prefabricated and transported to project site by wet towing. Motion responses of large caissons and those occurring during the towing process were investigated, and CO2 emissions under various conditions were calculated. These are all considered to ensure towing safety and environmental protection. The caisson resistance coefficient was simulated via Ansys Fluent software. The effects of towrope length, towing speed, and drift depth on the motion responses of caissons under the combined action of wind and wave were evaluated via Ansys AQWA software. Maximum heave value was dominantly affected by rope length and draft depth, and its fluctuation was highly influenced by towing speed and draft depth. However, all of the above mentioned factors had insignificant influences on pitch response. When towing existed, rope tension was rapidly increased from zero to a constant value that depended on towing speed and drift depth. However, the speed of achieving this stable phase depended on the length of the towrope.

Keywords

• large caissons
• wet-towing
• stability
• dynamic response
• towrope tension