NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF SEABED INTERACTION IN TIME DOMAIN ANALYSIS OF MOORING CABLES*

ABSTRACTIn this paper, an efficient two-dimensional finite element model for numerical analysis of mooring cables and seabed interaction has been built. Geometric shape and dynamics of mooring cables are computed in time domain, accounting for the motions of the moored sturcture. In the model, a hybrid beam element is employed to simulate the mooring cable while the seabed is simulated by application of different soil constitutive models. After the elastic and elastic-plastic soil constitutive models have been used for computation, tensions and offsets of mooring cables at fairlead point are also compared accounting for friction effect between cables and seabed. Both transversal and longitudinal behaviors are studied at different water depths.