Towing performance of mono-column composite bucket foundation in irregular waves

Abstract

The mono-column composite bucket foundation (MCCBF) has many advantages, such as quick installation and good bearing performance. To explore the towing performance of the MCCBF when encountering different waves in practical engineering, model tests are carried out to analyze the effects of different peak shape parameters, significant wave heights, and peak periods on MCCBF. The results show that the pitch and heave of the MCCBF's natural period increase with the draft's increase. When the draft is 8 m, the natural period of the pitch is 9.11 s, and the natural period of the heave is 7 .91s. Under different peak shape parameters, the air pressure fluctuations in Compartment 1 and Compartment 4 are the largest, Compartment 2 and Compartment 3 are smaller, and Compartment 7 is the smallest. When the peak period is close to the natural period of the MCCBF, the MCCBF will resonate in the corresponding free degree, which should be avoided in practical towing operations. With the increase of the significant wave height, the contact area between the MCCBF and the wave increases, and the wave load on the structure increases, resulting in an increase in the air pressure of each compartment, the towing force, and the pitch fluctuation. During practical towing, the contact area between the MCCBF and the waves can be changed by adjusting the draft of the MCCBF to reduce the towing force required.