Low-Frequency Phenomena Associated With Vessels

Moored at Sea
1

I
\
NETHERLANDS SHIP MODEL BASIN
i J.A. WAGENINGEN. T H E NETHERLANDS
f

ABSTRACT T h e magnitude of the l i n e a r oscillatory motions i s

in t h e order of t h e height of the waves..
T h e in/luence o j the low-/requency-waue-drifting
T h e second-order wave forces, perh;tps b e t t e r
force on t h e motion^ o/ moored v e s s e l s a n d the
known a s the wave drifting forces, h a v e been
l o a d s in the mooring s y s t e m i s demonstrated from
shown2 t o b e proportional to the s q u a r e of r h r
r e s u l t s of model t e s t s in irregular waves. T h e
wave height. T h e s e forces, though s m a l l in
origin o/ the wave diilting force i s d i s c u s s e d a n d
methods /or calculating the mean drifting /orce a r e magnitude, a r e the c a u s e of t h e low-frequency,
r ~ u i e u z ~ d .T o /aciIitate calculatzon of the low- large-amplitude, horizontal motions sometimes
frequency-wuve drifizcg force on an object in o b s e r v e d in large v e s s l e s moored i n irregular waves.
T e s t s run in irregular w a v e s in wave t a n k s of the
irregular waves, a n existing method using the meczn
drilting Jorce in regular w a v e s i s generalized. T h e Netherlands Ship Model B a s i n r e v c a l e d a number of - ,
r e s u l t s o j c a l c u l a t i o n s using the method introduced properties and e f f e c t s of the low-frequency-wave ,

in t h i s p a p e r a r e comparr*dwith previously prtblisheci drifting force t h a t a r e d i s c u s s e d h e r e -sing the

t e s t reszllts. Ftnally, s o m e remarks a r e a d d e d r e s u l t s of two t e s t programs.
concernzng e / j e c t s that have not been a c c o m t c d /or T h e f i r s t of t h e s e programs coflcerns t e s t s run
in e x i s t i n g ca1cu:ation methods. with t h e model of a 125,000-cu m L N G carrier
moored in h e a d s e a s with an i d e a l l i n e a r mooring
system. T h e s e c o n d program d e a l s with a
300,000-DWT VLCC myored with g r e a l i s t i c
A v e s s e l m-ured a t s e a in stationary conditions nonlincar bow h a w s e r to a single-buoy mooring in
with regard t o w a v e s , wind, and current i s s u b j e c t e d waves, wind, a n d current coming from different
to f o r c e s t h a t tend to shift i t from the d e s i r e d directions.
position. F o r a given v e s s e l a n d position in t h e T h e r e s u l t s of the t e s t s with t h e LNG carrier a r e
horizontal p l a n c , the motions depend on both t h e shown in F i g s . 1 through 3, while t h e r e s u l t s of
mooring s y s t e m a n d the external forces acting on t h e t e s t s with t h e 300,000-DWT V L C C a r e shown
t h e v e s s e l . In s t e a d y condi:ions, t h e f o r c e s c a u s ~ d j, F i g . 4. All r e s u l t s a r e given i n f u l l - s c a l e v a l u e s .
by a c o n s t a n t wind and current a r e c o n s t a n t Fig. 1 s h o w s the wave t r a c e and t h e s u r g e motion
q u a n t i t i e s for a given headirig a n g l e of t h e v e s s e l . l of t h e L N G carrier t o a b a s e of time. From t h i s
T h e f o r c e s c a u s e d by a statronary irregular s e a a r e figure i t i s s e e n t h a t t h e s u r g e motions show n o
of an irregular nature and may b e s p l i t into two
parts: first-order oscillato:y f o r c e s with wave RECORD 0, an i R r l W U L A R SE*
frequency, and second-order, slowly varying forces
with frequencies much lower than the wave
frequency.
T h e first-order o s c i 1 l a t o r ~ - wave f o r c e s on a
v e s s e l c a u s e the well known s h i p motions whose
frequencies equal t h e frequetlcies p r c s c n t in the
specxrun of $he irregular waves. T h e s e a r e t h e
line.*[ motions of surge, sway. a n d h e a v e and t h e
three angular nlctions of roll, pitch, and yaw. In
general, t h e first-order wave f o r c e s a r e proportional
to the wave height, a s a r e thz e n s u i n g motions.
-- p
-.
Or;r.na! m a n u s c r i p t r e c e i v e d i n S o c i ~ of
: ~p~r t r ~ l r u r nE n g i n e e r s
o f f l c e ' l a r c h 18. 1 9 7 4 . R e v i s e d m a n u s c r ~ ~
r e. c e i v e d o c t . 10, 1 9 7 5 .
P a p e r ,.CpE 1837; i v n s f l r s t P r e s e n t e d a t the SPE-AIME E u r o p e a n
Sprlnt IT--tlng, treld i n Amsterdam. The X e r h e r l a n d s . May 2 9 - 3 0 ,
1974. :C: Copyrtght 1 9 7 5 A m e r ~ c a n I n s t i t u t e of Mlning,
Metallurarcal, and P e t r o l e u m E n g i n e e r s , I,,,-.
oscillation with wave frequency. A n a l y s i s of the
s u r g e motion revealed that i t s mean period w a s
very c l o s e to the natural surge period of t h e
moored v e s s e l in still water. T h i s phenomenon
appeared to hold for the entire range of s t i f f n e s s
of the mooring system t e s t e d , a s i s shown in Fig.
2. In this figure the mean period of th'e surge
I o M E A S U R E D in an IRREGULAR S E A
NATURAL SURGE PERIOD :
M E A N SURGE P E R I O D
n a t u r a l surge pertoe In seconds
FIG. 2 - hlEAN P E R I O D OF S U R G E MOTION I N
I R R E G U L A R WAVES F O R AN L N G CARRIER.
I - MEASURED rn an IRREGULAR SEA
0
50 100
rcstoronp coettlcxcnt c R ' n t o n n i t
fIG. 3 - SIGNIFICANT D O U B L E A h l P L I T U D E O F T H E
F O R C E I N T H E MOORING SYSTEM O F AN L N G
CARRIER.
motion during t e s t s in the same irregular w a v e s i s
shown to a b a s e of the natural surge period in still
water. T h e s e r e s u l t s i n d i c a t e two properties. F i r s t ,
the moored v e s s e l c o n s t i t u t e s a mass-spring system
with l i t t l e damping, and second, the wave drifting
force in irregular waves corltains a wide range o f
frequencies.
From t h e t e s t s with the LNG carrier, Fig. 3
s h o w s the significant value o f the total force
between the v e s s e l and the mooring system for
I t e s t s in the same irreguiar wave using different
v a l u e s of the s t i f f n e s s of the mooring system.
T h e s e r e s u l t s i n d i c a t e that, for the s e a condition
tested, there a p p e a r s to be an optimum value of
the s t i f f n e s s of the mooring system thac r e s u l t s in
the l o w e s t total mooring force. T h e mean v a l u e of
the total mooring force that i s the mean v a l u e of
the drifting force amounted to about 6 tons for a l l
v a l u e s of the s t i f f n e s s of the mooring system. T h e
r e s u l t s in Fig. 3 show thac in irregular w a v e s t h e
mooring forces induced by the wave drifting 1
phenomena can reach v a l u e s f a r greater than the
mean value. From the r e s u l t s shown in Fig. 2 i t
would appear that the low-frequency drifting force
c a n induce resonance for the s u r g e motion which,
in turn, can l e a d to high f o r c e s in the mooring
system.
T h e r e s u l t s of t e s t s with the model of a
300,000-DWT VLCC show t h e Influence of t h e
nelgnt 2 60m
m o r P" od B l0 l K
IRREGULAR 5 E A
I\
l
/
WAVE HEIGHT sn metres
150 oA I
50
I
100
I
I59
1
XI0
l
lam. n s.ronds
F I G . 4 - T H E YA'XING MOTION AND F O R C E IN T H E
BOW HAWSER O F A V L C C MOORED T O A SINGLE-
BOUY MOORING.
 w a v e drifting f o r c e combined with wind a n d current. M E A i D R I F T I N G F O R C E IN
T h e r e s u l t s ( F i g . 4) s h o w t h a t t h e yaw motion of R E G U L A R WAVES
t h e V L C C c a u s e d by che irregular w a v e s coming
from t h e port bow a r e a l m o s t e n t i r e l y of t h e A g e n e r a l e q u a t i o n for t h e mean drifting f o r c e in
low-frequency type. $hen t h e VLCC s w i n g s to r e g u l a r w a v e s on a v e s s e l t h a t i s e i t h e r free-floating
p o r t ( i n c r e a s i n g ynw a n g l e ) t h e a n g l e of a t t a c k to or c a p t i v e i s
t h e c u r r e n t i n c r e a s e s , which r e s u l t s i n h i g h e r
c u r r e n t f o r c e s . T h i s i s r e f l e c t e d by t h e i n c r e a s e
i n t h e force i n t h e bow h a w s e r , a l s o shown i n
-
F = f P g C F ~ Aa . . . . . . ( ] ) * 2

Fig. 4. I t i s s e e n t h a t t h e bow h a w s e r force In Eq. 1, t h e drifting force c o e f f i c i e n t , C F q , which

c o n t a i n s more c o m p o n e n t s with w a v e frequency.
T h i s i s c a u s e d b y t h e motions of t h e buoy.
T h e results of these t e s t s show that the
m a g n i t u d e of t h e low-frequency f o r c e s a n d m o t i o n s
c a n b e s u c h t h a t they c o n ~ p l c t e l y d o m i n a t e t h e
b e n a v i o r o f moored v e s s e l s .
T h e e x a m p l e s given h e r e i n d i c a t e t h e i m p o r t a n c e
t h a t m u s t b e a t t a c h e d t o t h e low-frequency drifting
f o r c e i n t h e d e s i g n of s y s t e m s for mooring l a r g e
- v e s s e l s a t s e a . hlethods for determining t h e
low-frequency driftin; f o r c e for t h e p u r p o s e of
d e s i g n i n g s u c h mooring s y s t e m s a r e d i s c u s s e d . A
method of c a l c u l a t i o n complementary to a n
e x i s t i n g method i s i n t r o d u c e d a n d t h e r e s u l t s of
c a l c u l a t i o n s a r e compared with e x p e r i m e n t a l r e s u l t s .
ORIGLU O F T H E VAVE D R I F T I N G
F O R C E ON .LV O B J E C T
A rigid o b j e c t , e i t h e r free-floating o r fixed, will
d i s t u r b t h e nacural p a t t e r n of t h e w a v e s t h a t
surround i t . On m e e t i n g t h e o b j e c t , t h e incoming
w a v e s u7ill b e partly r e f l e c t e d a n d s c a t t e r e d . If t h e
o b j e c t i s floating free!?, i t s n ~ c i l l a t o r y m o t i o n s
a l s o will c a u s e w a v e s to b e t r a n s m i t t e d r a d i a l l y
outward. T h e complex w a v e p a t t e r n around a v e s s e l
a t s e a , therefore, i s a mixture of t h e o r i g i n a l ,
undisturbed waves, the reilecred and scattered
w a v e s , a n d t h e w a v e s g e c e r a t e d by t h e o s c i l l a t i n g
may b e d e t e r m i n e d e x p e r i m e n t a l l y o r , In s o m e
c a s e s , by c a l c u l a t i o n , i s g e n e r a l l y s o m e function
of t h e frequency of t h e r e g u l a r w a v e s for a g i v e n
h e a d i n g a n g l e of t h e v e s s e l . In F i g . 5, a n e x a m p l e
of CF,] for s free-floating r e c t a n g u l a r b a r g e i s
given. T h e r e s u l t s a r e t a k e n from Ref. 5.
D R I F T I N G F O R C E IN I R R E G U L A R WAVES
A m e t h o d for c a l c u l a t i n g the drifting f o r c e i n
i r r e g u l a r w a v e s , s u g g e s t e d by H s u and ~ l e n k a r n ~
a n d u s e d by Remery a n d erm mans^ to c a l c u l a t e t h e
low-frequency s u r g e m o t i o n s of a moored r e c t a n g u l a r
barge, a s s u m e s t h a t a n i r r e g u l a r w a v e t r a i n may
b e thought of a s a s u c c e s s i o n of h a l f - p e r i o d s of
r e g u l a r w a v e s . T h e a m p l i t u d e and the p e r i o d of
e a c h half-period i s e q u a l t o t h e zero-to-peak o r
zero-to-trough v a l u e a n d t h e time becween zero
c r o s s i n g s , r e s p e c t i v e l y , of t h e i r r e g u l a r w a v e z n i n
( s e e F i g . 6). T h e v a l u e of t h e w a v e drifting force
during t h e p a s s a g e nf 2 p e a k o r trough with
a p p l i t u d e A, a n d p e r i o d T, i s c a l c u l a t e d u s i n g Eq.
1. C F D i s s e l e c t e d a t t h e f r e q u e n c y correspondirig
to 7,.
I ----l

. vessel.
:n c a l c u l a t i n g t h e mean drifting force o n a v e s s e l
L in liead w a v e s , Gerritsma a n d B e u k e l m a n 3
d e t e r m i n e d t h e e n e r g y p r e s e n t in t h e w a v e s
p r o g r e s s i n g o u t w a r d from t h e v e s s e l by m e a n s of a
s t r i p theory a n d t h e r e l a t i v e motion concept. T h e i r
method a s s u m e s t h a t t h i s energy i s chc work d o n e
by t h e i n c o m i n g w a v e s . T h e method i s s u i t a b l e for
v e s s e l s with a n d without forward s p e e d , but w a s
specifically developed to determine the resistance
i n c r e a s e of v e s s e l s craveling i n h e a d w a v e s . T h e
r e s u l t s of t h e c a l c u l n t i o n s a g r e e c l o s e l y with t h e FIG. 5 - WAVE D R I F T I N G F O R C E C O E F F I C I E N T F O R
A RECTANGULAR BARGE.
r e s u l t s of model t e s t s . A noteworthy p a r t of
G e r r i t s m a and B e u k e l m a n ' s p a p e r i s thc e x p e r i - O E C M D of a n ( Q O F G U L A l SEA

m e n t a l v e r i f i c a t i o n of t h e d e p e n d e n c y o f t h e w a v e
drifting f o r c e o n t h e s q u a r e o f t h e w a v e height.
T h e mean w a v e drifting force i n regular w a v e s o n
r e c t a n g u l a r c a p t i v e b a r g e s o f i n f i n i t e breadth w a s
c a l c u l a t e d t h e o r e t i c a l l y by Evfei a n d ~ l i ~ c T k h. c~i r
method, l i k e Gerricsma a n d E e u k r l m a n ' s method,
d e r i v e s t h e mean drifting force from .I survey o f t h e
w a v e s t r a r e l i n g outward from t h e o b j e c t . T h i s h a s
b e e n s h o w n t o b e a c c e p t a b l e whcn viewing t h e FIG. 6 - DETERMINATION O F T H E WAVE DRIFTING
mean drifting f o r c e i n r e g u l a r w a v e s . F O R C E ACCORDING M RE3lERY AND HERMi\NS5
AND HSU AND BLENKAHN.
 By fairing t h e c a l c u l a t e d v a l u e s , a low-
frequency drifting force s i g n a l i s o b t a i n e d from a
given w a v e record. T h i s f o r c e record then may b e
u s e d a s input t o a m a s s - s p r i n g s y s t e m s i m u l a t i n g
t h e moored v e s s e l , from which t h e m o t i o n s may b e
calculated.
T h e a b o v e method r e q u i r e s t h a t a record of t h e
irregular v a v e s b e a t hand. T h e s u b s e q u e n t method
of c a l c u l ~ t i n gt h e time record o f t h e low-frequency
chifting f o r c e r e q u i r e s a s u b s t a n t i a l amount of
calculation that, in most c a s e s , must b e carried o u t
by computer. However, t h e m e t h o d h a s l e d t o u s e f u l
r e s u l t s , a s i s shown i n Ref. 5. In t h e following, a
more g e n e r a l a p p r o a c h u s i n g t h e s a m e a s s u m p t i o n
L C
i=1 j=1
C A.A. Cos { ( f i - f . ) t
1 3
1
3

u s e d for t h i s method i s introduced.

An i r r e g u l a r , l o n g - c r e s t e d s e a may b e c o n s i d e r e d
a s t h e sum of a l a r g e number of r e g u l a r waves:
or, a f t e r regrouping terms,
N
z (t,X) = 1 Ai C o s ( f . ~ - c Y ~ x + E ~ ) .
1
i=l

Eq. 2 a l s o may b e written a s

L A.A. Cos {(fi-f . ) t -
i = 1 j=1 1 3 3

i where
i
N N
C C A.A. COS { ( f i - f . )
i=1 j=1 1 1 3
If t h e w a v e amplitude A ( t , x ) a n d t h e f r e q u e n c y
/(I, I) a r e slowly varying q u a n t i t i e s , then w e may
a p p r o x i m a t e t h e wave drifting force from Eq. 1:

- wave envelope, . . . . . . . (4)

i

and

E ( t , ~= )a r c t g
T h i s i s t h e a s s u m p t i o n ir. R e f s . 5 a n d G written in
C Ai Sin { ( f i - f r , ) t - aix + E ~ } a c o n t i n u o u s form. If we a s s u m e t h a t t h e s q u a r e of

L
i=l

L A; C o s { ( f i - f r ) t - O i X + E i ! d
I
1 C F Di s

i=l
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(5)
If t h e s p e c t r a l d e n s i t y of b e irregular w a v e s i s then the drifting force b e c o m e s
narrow, m e a n i n g t h a t the h i g h e s t a n d l u w e s t
f r e q u e n c i e s p r e s e n t i n t h e w a v e s d i f f e r only sliphtly
from some c e n t r a l l y c h o s e n f r e q u e n c y l,, then t h e
a m p l i t u d e :\ ( I , u) a n d p h a s e t ( t , X) a r e of a s l o w l y
varying iorm ( s e e Fig. 7).
WAVE ENVELOPE AI1 XI
From t h e a b o v e e x p r e s s i o n s , w e may d e f i n e t h e
s l o w l y varying f r e q u e n c y / ( t , X):

T h i s l e n d s to FIG. 7 - R E C O R D O F I R R E G U L . 4 R WAVES WITH A

NARROW S P E C T R A L D E N S I T Y .
 random p h a s e a n g l e s ci a n d c,. Eq. 1 3 i s a r r i v e d a t
by a v e r a g i n g t h e s p e c t r a l d e n s i t y for a l l p o s s i b l e
c o m b i n a t i o n s of ci a n d C..' The spectral density
a n d t h e mean v a l u e of tAe drifting f o r c e may b e
c a l c u l a t e d from Eqs. 1 3 a n d 1 4 u s i n g a w a v e
s p e c t r u m , S Z ( / ) , a n d t h e w a v e drifting-force
c o e f f i c i e n t , C F D (l).
Cos i (fi-f l t - ( o i - o . ) X+ ( E -E.) l In t h e following, t h e low-frequency s u r g e m o t i o n s
3 l
of t h e r e c t a n g u l a r b a r g e t e s t e d by Remery a n i
i ~ e r m a n as r~e c a l c u l a t e d u s i n g E q s . 1 3 a n d 14. ? h e
which i s t h e s a m e .IS r e s u l t s of t h e s e c a l c u l a t i o n s a r e c o m p a r e d with t h e
r e s u l t s of m e a s u r e m e n t s g i v e n by Remery a n d
F(t,x) = Hermans.
T o calculate the surge motions, assume that the
N N f i+f
5 Pq C 1
i = 1 j=1
A . A . C2
1 1 FD
(-
?
' moored b a r g e i s a l i n e a r m a s s - s p r i n g s y s t e m with
t h e f o l l o w i n g e q u a t i o n of motion:

T h e amplitude, ,4,, of t h e s u r g e r e s p o n s e t o a
s i n u s o i d a l i n p u t with a m p l i t u d e A F a n d freqllency
v is

I t i s s e e n from Eq. 11 t h a t t h e drifting f o r c e i s a l s o

of a s l o w l y varying form, s i n c e i t c o n t a i n s
f r e q u e n c i e s t h a t a r e d i f f e r - n c e s of t h e f r e q u e n c i e s
fi a n d j j .
T h e mean drifting f o r c e in irregular w a v e s
f o l l o w s by m a k i n g i = 1.
T h e s u r g e r e s p o n s e c ? e r a t o r then b e c o m e s

If o n l y c o m b i n a t i o n s of ! ;a n d li a r e u s e d i n Eq. 11
s u c h t h a t ii 4 1;.,,then E q s . 11 a n d 12 g i v e t h e
low-frequency o s c i l l a t i n g portion a n d t h e mean,
r e s p e c t i v e l y , of t h e w a v e driftina inrce.
E q s . l 1 a n d 1 2 a r e n o t in a. form t h a t c a n b e u s e d T h e s p e c t r a l d e n s i t y of t h e low-frequency s u r g e
e a s i l y for p r a c t i c a l c a s e s . Straight-forward b u t motion f o l l o w s from
l e n g t h y manipulation of E q s . 1 1 a n d 12 g i v e s t h e
following e x p r e s s i o n s fur t h e s p c c t r a l d e n s i t y ,
=S ( V ) , nf t h e low-frequency portion and t h e rnr-an,
I : , of t h e d r i f t i n g f o r c e i n irregular w a v e s with
spectral density S Z ( / J .

C : ~ ( £ + V / ~ ) df- . . F i n a l l y , t h e mean s q u a r e v a l u e , [L:, of t h e s u r g e

motion f o l l o w s by i n t e g r a t i o n of Eq. 18:

From E q s . 13 a n d 1 4 i t i s s e e n t h a t t h e mean a n d
t h e s p e c t r a l d e n s i t y of t h e drifting force now may w h e r e SF (v) i s t h e s p e c t r a l d e n s i t y of t h e
b e c a l c u l a t e d d i r e c t l y from t h e s p e c t r u m of t h e low-frequency drifting f o r c e from Eq. 13.
irregular w a v e s without u s i n g a w a v e record. T h e root mean s q u a r e v a l u e s of t h e s u r g e m o t i o n s
I t s h o u l d b e n o t e d t h a t Eq. 13 g i v r s t h e m e a n of t h e r e c t a n g u l a r b a r g e were c a l c u l a t e d u s i n g t h e
v a l u e of t h e s p e c t r a l d e n s i t y , SF(v). following v a l u e s . 5
Strictly speaking, the spectral dcnsity of t h e
drifting force given by Eq. 11 c a n a s s u m e a l a r g e V i r t u a l m a s s of b a r g e ,\l - 130.50 ton s e c 2 / m
range of v a l u e s , depending on t h e c h o i c e o f t h e Damping c o e f f i c i e n t CD = 270 ton s e c / m
 Restoring coefficients C R - and
136,68,49,40, 29,
20 ton/m
The spectrum, S,(/), of the irregular v7aves i s given
in Fig. 8.
Furthermore, t h e mean wave drifting force given
by Eq. 14 i s a l s o given in Ref. 5 . T h e calculated
mean v a l u e s , therefore, ace equivalent. T h e mean
force amounted to 28 tons. T h e measured mean
forces were between 22 and 30 tons. T h e r e s u l t s of
the calculations, showing the root mean square of
the low-frequency surge motion for the different
values of the s t i f f n e s s ( C R ) of the mooring system
are given in Fig. 9. - 4 1 ~ 0shown i n t h i s figure a r e
the r e s u l t s of t e s t s and c s l c u l a t i o n s carried out by
Remery and d er man ss u s i n g the method of Hsu and
~lenkarn.~
The r e s u l t s of the c a l c u l a t i o n s u s i n g the spectral
density g i v m by Eq. 13 are somewhat higher than
the t e s t v J u e s and the calculated values given in
Ref. 5. A p o s s i b l e explanation for the difference i s
that the present method of calculation i s b a s e d on
\ an infinite t e s t period, while the r e s u l t s given in
Ref. 5 are b a s e d on a finite period corresponding
the low-frequency surge motion increased by about
15 p e r c e n t when i n c r e a s i n g the t e s t period by a
factor of three. A s e c o n d possible explanation for
the differences may b e in t h e linearization a s s u m e d
in Eq. 9.
FURTHER DEVELOPXIENTS
In deriving the p r e s e n t method of calculation i r
w a s a s s u m e d that t h e low-frequency drifting force
in irregular w a v e s could be calculated u s i n g the
mean wave drifting force coefficients for regular
waves.
U s i n g the e x a c t solution for the low-frequency
p r e s s u r e variations in an undisturbed irregular
wave, Newman8 concluded that t h i s method i s
valid provided only low frequencies appr0achir.g
zero a r e considered.
When considering higher frequencies of the wave
drifting force e f f e c t s & a t must b e accounted for
are (1) influence of low-frequency p r e s s u r e variations
not accounted for by the mean drifting force i n
c
regular waves, and (2) influence of the dimensions
of the o b j e c t r e l a t i v e to the "wave length" of :he

l l
to about 35 minutes in reality.
An example of the influence of the length of the
t e s t period on the root mean s q u a r e of the surge
motion i s given in the following table.
slowly varying envelope of the irregular waves.
When considering the e x a c t theoretical solution
for the low-frequency drifting force on an object,
i t c a n be shown that che low-frequency p r e s s u r e
l
1 T e s t Period Root Mean Square of
variation acting on the object may b e c a l c u l a t e d
using the velocity potential, , including
Prototype Low-Frequency Surge
(minutes) Motion (meters) second-order contributions:

35 1.70
+ (2) . . . . . . . (20)
105 1.96 Q = @ (l)
The physical implication of the contribution of the
The above r e s u l t % were taken from t e s t s carried out first-order potential, @(l),i s that i t d e s c r i b e s each
in head waves with the model of a large LNG regular wave a s a perfect s i n e form. T h e contribution
carrier. .4s may b e s e e n , the root mean square of
20

]
1 I
SPECTRUM of a n IRREGULAR SEA
b y REMERY and H E R M A N S (3)

SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT - 5 m

o CALCULATED

M E A N WAVE PERIOD . 1( JCC

CALCULATED b y PRESENT METHOD

0 25 050 0 75 100 restarnng coclftcgent cRrn ton m'

trequcncy t on raa .c<'

FIG. 9 - L O U f - F R E Q U E N C Y S U R G E MOTIONS O F '1
FIG. 8 - SPECTRUM O F I R R E G U L A R WAVES. R E C T A N G U L A R BARGE.
of t h e s e c r n d - o r d e r p o t e n t i a l , i s such that the F (t) =
b a s i c s i n e form is c o r r e c t e d s o t h a t t h e w a v e
p e a k s a r e made s h a r p e r a n d higher a n d t h e w a v e n n
uoughs a l e made longer and shallower, thus % pg 1 1 A . A . \ C F2D (-Tfi+f j )
approaching moie c l o s e l y t h e w a v e ~ r o f i l e ss e e n i=1 j=1 1 3
i n reality.
T h e pres:;ure o n t h e o b j e c t i s c a l c u l a t e d from t h e L
velocity potential using Bernouilli's equation: COS { ( fi-f . ) t- ( a . - g . ) / 2 + ( ~ i - ~j )
3 1 3
a0
P " - p= - f p ( v o ( ~ ) -) ~pgz n n 2 fi t f .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (21) + % 09 C 1 A . A CFD (7
)
i = 1 j=1 1 3
I t cm b e s h o w n t h a t t h e low-frequency p r e s s u r e
v a r i a t i o n s c o n t a i n c o n t r i b u t i o n s from both the
first- a n d second-order terms, @ ( l )a n d 0 ( 2 ) .
COS l(£i-f j t+
L
/*+ ( E i - c j ) t
I t a l s o c a n be shown, however, t h a t t h e mean
p r e s s u r e a n d , h e n c e , t h e mean drifting f o r c e a r e
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .)3:!
onlv d e p e n d e n t o n t h e first-order p o t e n t i a l , @ ( l ) . or,
T h i s m e a n s t h a t any method for c a l c u l a t i n g t h e
low-frequency w a v e drifting f o r c e i n irregular w a v e s F(t) =
u s i n g o n l y B e mean drifting force c o e f f i c i e n t ,
C F D( l ) , o n l y a c c o u n t s for t h e contribution of @ ( l )
to t h e low-frequency drifting force.
T h e i n f l u e n c e of the d i m e n s i o n s of t h e o b j e c t o n
t h e low-frequericy force c a n b e d e m o n s t r a t e d by t h e
following example. C o n s i d e r a f l o a t i n g o b j e c t
c o n s i s t i n g of t w o i d e n t i c a l h u l l s with a rigid
c o n s t r u c t i o n joining t h e h u l l s a b o v e w a t e r ( s e e
F i g . 10). T h i s o b j e c t is moored i n irregular w a v e s
coming i n a direction p a r a l l e l t o the l i o e joining T h e s p e c t r a l d e n s i t y of the low-frequency w a v e
the two h u l l s . drifting force then b e c o m e s
T h e mean drifting force c o e f f i c i e n t on t h e o b j e c t
i s CF . r ) ( l ) ,t h e n , if t h e d i s t a n c e b e t w e e n t h e h u l l s
i s n o t a c c o u n t e d for, t h e s p e c t r a l d e n s i t y S F ( v )
of t h e low-frequency w a v e drifting force i s

-
L df , . . . . . . . (251
2
o r , for W <<l,
If t i c h u i l s a r e s u l f i c i e ~ r t l yf a r a p a r t , then t h e mean
w a v e drifting f o r c e on e a c h h u l l i s one-half t h e
[":L;
- T,
. I.O ~ C F , F. !..e drifting force c o e f f i c i e n t for
e a c h 1.~11 i s then ( I / ~ ~ ) C ~ ~ T( o/ )s .h o w t h e
i n f l u e n c e of t h e length ( L ) b e t w e e n t h e h u l l s w e
determine t h e w a v e drifting f o r c e o n t h e o b j e c t
from Eq. 11 by a d d i n g t h e cor~:ribution of e a c h hull.
If t h e w a v e h e i g h t i s m e a s u r e d :it a p o i n t I ~ a l f w n y
betwecr. the h u l l s , t h e n Cornparing t h i s r e s u l t with Eq. 22 s h o w s t h a t when
t h e length ( L ) b e t w e e n t h e h u l l s i s a c c o u n t e d for,
-- L ---l
t h e s p e c t r ~ ld e n s i t y i n t h i s c a s e i s reduced.
T h i s i s a r e s u l t of the phenomenon t h a t t h e
DIRECTION of length of the o b j e c t i s s u c h t h a t t h e w a v e
~ R R E G U L A R WAVES
a m p l i t u d e and w a v e frequency, when v i e w e d a t [hr
s a m e i n s t a n t , a r e n o t t h e s a m e for both h u l l s .
---
CONCLUSIONS
.
' .
As shown by Remery a n d Iierm:lns, i t a p p e a r s to
X . .X.-

HZLS b e p o s s i b l e to m a k e a r e a s o n a b l v a c c u r a t e r s t i ~ n a t e
FIG. 1C, - S C I I E U A T I C R E P K E S E N T A T I O X OF A uf t h e s u r g e motion of a b ~ r g e - t y p e v e s s e l under
b 1 0 0 R E D OBJECT. t h e i n f l u e n c e of t h e 1 o ~ - f r e q u e n c yd r i f t i n g f o r c e in
irregular waves. In t h i s paper i t h a s been shown S,(v) - s p e c t r a l density of surge motion
that the m e h o d s u g g e s t e d by Hsu and Blenkarn S,(/) = s p e c t r a l d e n s i t y of the irregular waves
may b e generalized s o that the spectral density of t = time
the drifting force mav be calculated directly from z = vertical displacement
the spectral density of the irregular waves using
Z ( t ,.X) = time- and position-dependent elevation of
the mean drifting force coefficients in regular
of the s e a s u r f a c e
waves. The r e s u l t s of c a l c u l a t i o n s agree reasonably
with t h e r e s u l t s of t e s t s with a rectangular barge r i = random p h a s e angle, uniformly distributed
in head s e a s . In f1:rther developing methods for c ( t , x ) = p h a s e angle
calculating the motions of v e s s e l s moored in p, = root mean square value of surge motion
irregular s e a s , due care will h a v e to b e taken in
~ c c o u n t i n gfor rhe influence of the dimensions of p = specific m a s s of s e a water
the v e s s e l and for the influence of higher-order
a; = wave number
effects in the low-frequency wave drifting force.
Q = velocity potential
@ ( l ) = first-order velocity potential
@(2) = second-order velocity potential

A,,..\, = amplitude of a regular wave REFERENCES

,-lF = amplitude of exciting force 1. R e m r r y , G. F. M. a n d V a n Oortmerssen. G.: "Thr
Mean Wave. Wind, a n d Current F o r c e s o n Off-hare
.4, = amplitude of surge motion S t r u c t u r e s a n d T h e i r R o l e i n t h e D e s i g n of Mooring
A ( f , x ) = wave envelope S y s t e m s , " p a p e r O T C 1741 p r e s e n t e d a t t h e Fif:h
Annual O f f s h o r e T e c h n o l o g y Conference, H 2 u s t o n ,
"S
- (V) = frequency-dependent surge-response oper- April 30-May 2, 1973.
"F ator 2. Maruo, H.: " T h e Drift of a Aody F l o a t i n g o n Waves,"
B b = breadth of b3rge 1. of Ship Res. (Dec. 1960) Vol. 4.
3. Gerritsma, J. a n d BeukeIrian, W.: " A n a l y s i s of :he
5 , D = constant coefficients of the linearized R e s i s t a n c e I n c r e a s e in Wa.res of a F a s t C a r ~ oShip,"
coefficient cFD2 [/(t,x)] Report No. 334, Laboratorium voor Scheepsbouwkunde.
CD = damping coefficient T e c h n i c a l U. of Delft, The N e t h e r l a n d s (1971).

CFD = drifting force coefficient 4. Mei. C. C. a n d B l a c k , J. L.: " S c a t t e r i n c of S u r i a c e

Waves," J. Fluid Afech. (1969) Vol. 38, P a r t 3,
CR = restoring coefficient 433-455.
F = mean wave drifting force 5. Remery, G. F. M. a n d Hermans. A. J.: "The Slow
ji = frequency of regular wave component Drift O s c i l l a t i o n s of a Moored O b j e c t i n Random
S e a s , " Soc. Pet. Eng. J . (June 1972) 191-198.
j, = centrally chosen, constant frequency
g
. .
- acceleration of gravity
6. H s u , F. H. a n d Blenkarn, K. A.: " A n a l y s i s of P e a k
M0orir.t: F o r c e s C a u s e d by Slow V e s s e i 9 r i f t
O s c i l l a t i o n s in Random Seas." Soc. P e l . ER& J.
',l = indices
(Aug. 1972) 329-344.
L = disrance between h u l l s
7. R i c e , S. 0.: "Mathematical A n a l y s i s of Random
,\l = virtual m a s s N o i s e , " Bell S y s t e m Technical J., Vols. 23 a n d 24.
n = number of wave components
-
8. Newman, J. N.: "Seco~ld-Order, Slowly V a r y i n g F o r c e s
o n V e s s e l s in I r r e g u l a r Waves," p a p e r p r e s e n t e d a t
p pressure
t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Symposium o n t h e Dynamic5 af
SF(v) = spectral density of the low-frequer~cywave Marine V e h i c l e s a n d Structures in Waves, Uiliversity
drifting force C o l l e g e , London, April 1974.
***