(2) The response of a semisubmersible model under focused wave groups: Experimental investigation

Michael Banks, Nagi Abdussamie ^∗
National Centre for Maritime Engineering and Hydrodynamics, Australian Maritime College, University of Tasmania, Launceston, TAS 7250, Australia

Received 2 May 2017; accepted 28 July 2017
Available online 3 August 2017

Abstract
In recent years, extreme wave events have occurred more frequently than have been predicted using theoretical methods. It is, therefore, a requirement to investigate the impact of these events on coastal and offshore structures. This paper reports on results of an experimental investigation into the interaction between unidirectional waves and a horizontally moored semisubmersible model. The target crest height was created at a focal point and time using the focused wave technique. Different values of wave steepness were tested in order to ascertain the nonlinear effects on the quality of waves generated by a piston-type wavemaker. The measured crest height was in good agreement with the theoretical one within 4% relative error. The magnitudes of heave and pitch motions of the model were found to increase as the wave steepness increased. Overall, the paper contributes towards establishing the application of focused wave technique to floating offshore platforms.
© 2017 Shanghai Jiaotong University. Published by Elsevier B.V.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license. ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ )
Keywords: Focused wave; Offshore platforms; Dynamic response.