Work

Near-wall effect on the coupled dynamics of the submerged tunnel installation system due to random waves

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: During the near-seabed installation, the hydrodynamic responses of the submerged tunnel element and its installation system sustain prominent wall effect, including the associated evolution of the tunnel motion, the relative motion between the tunnel element (TE) and installation barge (IB), and the consequent dynamic forces of suspension and mooring lines. To evaluate this effect, 3D experiments in wave basin are implemented utilizing a 1:60 scale model of a coupled tunnel-rig system. To provide a complementary insight and entitle for the practical engineering demands, the motion and tension responses of the tunnel installation system are measured synchronously subjected to random waves. The noteworthy disparity of the multi-peak characteristic responses persisting between the regular waves and real sea states is highlighted in both time domain and frequency domain. It is found that the low-frequency responses of in-phase modes of TE/IB are much easier to be triggered in random waves and enhanced significantly with a broader influencing scope, compared with the previous regular wave scenarios. The off-seabed clearance of the TE is predominantly affected by the superposition of the coupled roll resonance and the near-seabed effect. Furthermore, the near-seabed effect contributes to a favorable diminish in the maximum single suspension tension but an impressive growth in the total suspension tension and the rig’s mooring tension.

Source: Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology

DOI: 10.1016/j.tust.2025.107219

Authors: Yue Song, Bin Li, Nianzhong Chen, Min Gao, ZhiWen Yang, Zhenxiang Sun

Institutions: Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Hydraulic Engineering Simulation and Safety, China Communications Construction Company (China), The University of Western Australia, Tianjin Research Institute of Water Transport Engineering

Language: English

Topic: Offshore Engineering and Technologies

Subfield: Ocean Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,820