| This thesis presents an alternative finite element method to effectively simulate cable dynamics, in which large rigid body motions are coupled with small elastic deformations. In dealing with this type of problem, the existing finite element method is prone to numerical inaccuracies resulting from large 3D rotations. A new nodal position finite element method (NPFEM) is presented herein to address the problem by solving for the cable position directly. In addition, mathematical models of the ship motion and empirical stem wake model are also developed and implemented in computer programs. The above models are implemented in a simulation tool called DynaTow . The validated theory/programs are used to perform a series of case studies demonstrating that the new NPFEM is simple, effective, and robust by comparing with experimental and sea trial data. |
