On the risk of fatigue failure of structural elements exposed to bottom wave slamming – Impulse response regime

Abstract

This study aims to investigate whether fatigue damage induced by bottom wave slamming can be a failure mode, important to consider when sizing a marine structural element. The body exposed to wave impacts is assumed to have a shape and structural arrangement such that the duration of wave-impact loads is short relative to the structure’s vibratory response time. In this dynamical regime, fatigue is found to be a potentially important failure mechanism: accounting for the risk of failure due to fatigue damage may result in design constraints that are significantly more conservative than those based on the risk of ultimate strength exceedance. The role of fatigue damage depends on the elevation of the body. It is predominant for low elevations, for which slamming events are frequent. Since this study aims to provide general insight, the specific details of the body, such as its shape and structural arrangement, are not specified. Instead, a general framework is used for the analysis. The way forward to address a specific case study, possibly including the effects of forward and seakeeping motions, is briefly explained.