Influence of hinged conditions on the hydroelastic response of compound floating structures

Based on the Mindlin plate theory and Wiener-Hopf technique, a solution for hydroelastic responses of 2D floating plates with hinge connection is presented under the action of different periods of monochromatic incident waves on a fluid of finite depth. The flow is assumed to be irrotational and unbounded. The floating structure is simplified as an isotropic elastic floating plate. The joints between two modules, such as the condition of the weld joint and hinged connection, are simplified as torsion springs with different torsional stiffness. The aim of solution is mainly against the velocity potential of the potential flow. According to the boundary conditions of various regions in the flow field, the mixed problems of boundary conditions and higher-order derivative are effectively solved by the Wiener-Hopf technique. Furthermore, the problems of a system of integral equations of fluid-structure interaction are deduced, which can be further simplified to a set of linear algebraic equations in the complex domain. The effects of hinged conditions on the hydroelastic response of compound floating structures, including their displacement and bending moments, are studied to provide information regarding the optimal design of such structures.