Study On Load Characteristics And Structural Response Of Connectors Of Hexagonal Ring Type Floating Platform

With the implementation of the marine power strategy,it is urgent to protect farreaching sea rights and interests and to develop ocean resources in China,but nowadays we are lack of far-reaching sea support conditions,it is difficult to carry out effective and sustainable marine development activities.Therefore it is necessary to design an ultra large platform to provide marine support and supply.The VLFS is generally connected by multiple modules,while the strength of the connector is one of the important factors for the safety of the platform.The calculation of the wave load and strength analysis have become the key issues when VLFS is designed.In this paper,a new type of VLFS,the hexagonal ring floating platform,is the research object,and the test model of the platform and the connectors connecting modules are designed.Using the method of combining model test and numerical calculation,load characteristics of the rigid connector of the test model of hexagonal ring type floating platform is studied in this paper,which provides some reference for the design of the connector,and analyzes the structural response of the test model.The paper mainly studies the following aspects:(1)Current research status of large floating structures are summarized in this paper,then the research object is drawn out.The design of connector and its load calculation model are surveyed,and the research model is determined in this paper.The former experiments of VLFS are summarized,which provides a reference for the model tests in this paper.The three-dimensional potential flow theory,the calculation method of structural response and catenary theory are introduced,which provide a theoretical foundation for the numerical simulation in this paper are introduced.(2)The model test of hexagonal ring type floating platform is carried out.Firstly,the model which consist of six floating platform modules and six rigid connectors is designed.During the design of the rigid connector model,the posting position of the strain gauge is determined,and the rigid connector model is analyzed by using the Mechanical module in Ansys Workbench.Secondly,the test conditions and main process are introduced in detail.Finally,the test results are obtained,the effects of wave height,connector position and incident wave frequency on the section load at the rigid connector are analyzed based on the test results.(3)The numerical simulation of the test process is carried out,and the influence of the mooring system which is designed in the test on the section load at the rigid connector is discussed.The section load RAO of connector in regular waves was calculated and compared with the test results to verify the reliability of the numerical simulation method.Finally,six typical loads are selected as reference loads,and the wave loads are mapped to the structural model.The finite element strength analysis of the test model is carried out,and the calculation results are analyzed and discussed in depth.In this paper,the load characteristics and structural response of the hexagonal ring type floating platform connector are studied.Combining with model test and numerical simulation method,the load characteristics of the rigid connector and the overall structural response law under the action of regular waves are obtained,which provides a reference to determine design load and to perform strength evaluation of the similar type floating platform connector.