On the material parameters identification of flexible mooring dolphin

This article deals with the bending analysis of breast dolphins in the context of detecting safety zones during tanker berthing. The study focuses on modelling a flexible dolphin partially submerged in the muddy bottom in the present case. Reconstructing the material properties of dolphins is an inverse problem, and such problems are known for being difficult and ill-posed in mathematics. Different one-dimensional pile models with various boundary conditions are derived to solve this inverse problem. Complex finite element models are used to validate the one-dimensional models. Because the ship is moored in shallow water, more emphasis is placed on connecting the structural and hydrodynamic models in order to anticipate precise hydrodynamic loads. The parametric bending study of the mooring material properties was carried out for different ship displacements and mooring speeds. Based on the model results and the experimental data, it is possible to select the optimal model for a given berth. It can then be used with utmost confidence for complex mooring safety analyses to determine a particular jetty’s navigational safety berthing zones. The procedure is described in its general form and can be used for various ports.

Ocean Engineering, 255(111269), 1-17. Elsevier