Skop 1988

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Mooring Systems:

R. A. Skop
Professor,
A State-of-the-Art Review
Division of Applied Marine Physics and Ocean
Engineering, A mooring system is any system of cables and anchors used to restrain the motion
Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric of a fixed orfloatingstructure by transmitting the forces on the structure to the
Science, seafloor. Examples of mooring systems range from the simple single-anchor, single-
University of Miami, line system used to restrain meteorological buoys to the complex systems used to
Miami, Fla. 33149 Mem.ASME restrain tension leg platforms and guyed towers for deepwater oil operations. In this
paper, a state-of-the-art review regarding the behavior of cables as mooring system
components, the types and selection of cables, and the various classes of anchors
and their applications is presented.

I Introduction
A mooring system is defined as any system of cables and Under the action of the external load f (per unit of un-
anchors used to restrain the motion of a fixed or floating stressed arc length), equilibrium of the cable segment requires
structure by transmitting the forces on the structure to the
seafloor. Several examples of mooring systems are illustrated d(Tr)/ds + i = 0 (1)
in Fig. 1. The single-point surface moor of Fig. 1(a) is repre- Here, T is the tension in the cable and f is the unit tangent
sentative of standard meteorological mooring systems and is vector to the cable
only loosely restrained from motion. The subsurface mooring
systems of Figs. 1(b) and (c) provide stable, wave-isolated r (2)
installations for vertical and horizontal oceanographic meas-
urements, respectively. Figures l(^) and (e) depict two recent
-m^r
concepts for deepwater oil operations—the tension leg plat- The strain e is determined from the cable constitutive relation
form and the guyed tower, both of which require substantial
restraint from motion.
e = mar o)
In this paper, we discuss the behavior of cables as mooring in which Q and y are constants that depend on the cable
system components, the types and selection of cables, and the material and construction.
various classes of anchors and their applications. The external load f = f„. + f/„ where f„, and {,, are, respec-
tively, the hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads. The hydro-
static load is
II Behavior of Cables as Mooring Components
f„. = -wk (4)
A Equations of Static Equilibrium and the Hydrodynamic where w is the cable weight per unit length in water (positive
Loads. The determination of the static configuration of a
mooring system under steady hydrodynamic loading provides if the cable is heavier than water). The hydrodynamic load is
a large part of the information necessary for successful system (l+e)pd
design when wave action is not a factor. When wave action f/,= aCD\v„\y„+irCr\yt\y, (5)
and, hence, system dynamics enter a design problem, the
static solution is still necessary to provide a starting point for Here, p is the density of the water, d is the diameter of the
dynamic analyses. cable, CD and CT are the normal and tangential drag coeffi-
Figures 2(a) and (b) show, respectively, definition sketches cients for a stationary, bare cable, a is a drag amplification
for a mooring cable and a segment of the cable. With respect factor, and V„ and V, are the components of the ocean current
to the X, Y, Z Cartesian coordinate system (Z increasing V normal and tangential to the cable
upwards), the position vector of a point along the cable is P
= Pxi + Pyj + Pzk where i, j , and k are unit vectors along v„ = v - (v • f )f (6a)
X, Y, and Z. To define the particular point along the cable to
which P refers, the unstressed arc length s is used with s V, = (V • T)T (6b)
increasing from zero at the anchor to L, the total unstressed The drag coefficients CD and CT are presented in Fig. 3
length of cable involved. (from reference [1]) as functions of the normal and tangential
Reynolds numbers, R„ = | V„ | d/v and R,= | V, | d/v, where
Contributed by the OMAE Division for publication in the JOURNAL OF
v is the kinematic viscosity of the water. For most mooring
OFFSHORE MECHANICS AND ARCTIC ENGINEERING. Manuscript received by the system design problems, the tangential component of the
OMAE Division, 1987; revised manuscript received January 28, 1988. hydrodynamic load in equation (5) is much smaller than the

Journal of Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering NOVEMBER 1988, Vol. 110/365
Copyright © 1988 by ASME
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(a) (b)

=s
(d) (e)
Fig. 1 Typical examples of mooring systems: (a) single-point surface moor; (b) single-point subsurface moor; (c) multi-point subsurface moor;
(d) tension leg platform; (e) guyed tower

function of the arc length s. Introducing the resultant force


=L vector
R = Tr (7)
in equation (1), we find

R(5) = R i - J i(S)dl (8a)

(b) where RL is the hydrodynamic load on the subsurface buoy


Fig. 2 Definition sketch for a mooring cable: (a) overall cable; supporting the moor. Further, from equations (7) and (3)
(b) equilibrium of cable segment
T = (R • R)1/2 (86)

normal load. Suggested design values for the normal and e = (T/QY (8c)
tangential drag coefficients are CD = 1.2, CT = 0.0. and, finally, from equation (2)
The amplification factor a results from flow-induced strum-
ming oscillations of the cable or from the attachment of
strumming suppression devices to the cable [2]. Strumming P(j) = Po + [1 + < ( £ ) ] | ^ ^ (8rf)
oscillations are small amplitude cable vibrations caused by
and perpendicular to the incoming current. They occur in where P0 is the position vector of the anchor. Thus, if f(s) is
two varieties, resonant and nonresonant, as shown in Fig. 4 known, the static configuration of a single-point subsurface
(from reference [3]). Also, as shown, either type gives rise to moor can be determined by numerical quadrature. This result
an amplification of the drag force on the cable. Several devices leads to the self-explanatory iterative procedure illustrated in
exist that reduce or eliminate strumming oscillations over Fig. 6 for the general static solution for a single-point subsur-
certain ranges of current and cable orientation to the current. face moor.
Some are shown in Fig. 5. Recommended values of a are
tabulated in Table 1 for a bare cable and for various suppres- 2 Single-Point Surface Moor. For the single-point sur-
sion devices. In the latter cases, a is due to changes from the face moor shown in Fig. 7, the buoy supporting the moor is
basic bare cable shape. not fully submerged and Rz. is equation (8a) is not immedi-
The decision as to whether or not to employ strumming ately known. Also, since a portion of the cable may lay on
suppression devices depends upon numerous factors. Among the sea floor, the overall suspended cable length is not known.
them are the sensitivity of the mooring application to strum- However, the depth D of the water column is known.
ming and the desired mooring lifetime, as well as handling Let us rewrite equation (8d) as
and economic considerations.
P(*) = PL + J[ [1 + *(£)] | ^ di, (9)
B Static Solutions
where, since it is arbitrary, we take PL — \0,0,D}. (That is,
1 Single-Point Subsurface Moor. In general, the hydro- we let Z = 0 correspond to the sea floor.) We now guess a
dynamic load on the cable depends on the configuration taken trial value for RLZ = RLZ.T, the buoyancy force exerted by the
by the cable and the distribution of the current. Let us assume buoy, and calculate the drag forces RLX and RLY on the buoy.
for the moment, however, that this load is known as a A good starting value for RLZ.T is RLZ.T = wD, which is the

366/Vol. 110, NOVEMBER 1988 Transactions of the ASME

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10
1 - - . - !^._ - '1 - - —- I pn
K -

S
—- - - Curry h P<m»r [19471
VV • • Lindwatxr a Protur (19441
/ 1
> • • f-f-t r
~ Them & Landwabar (1936]
** i^
^-_ • r Trrr

1
Smooth Circular Cylinder '
•~!
Ms | l * = +£
'ii 777
^rkSi-r—** ~~ TT
1
1

"fe-— ~<
""
WiM.lib.rwr
(Gotting*n)

1
Ralf. (Nat . Phyi. Lab Ttddington)]
- Vn-t-.. - , , _ , ._———
. ^ ?fc*ftf s --

t-
z
OS

'V
'v
. N3RMAL DRAG
-j-
M
y*~
f,~
1
vProj* R,
•r

h-i
1
" la. ':•

m
Rough Circ. Cylinder)
I in
-*-
*T \
i i
V
UJ s k.
n•If. INall. Ptiyi. U
b..

o T*ddington)

!
UJ
01 -
o --
o -t • - "-
o 005 "" _ . .- . — V
vi
t_
<
or TANGENTIAL DR AG i h cf versus R
t 1
Q
1
002 2 3_ 10 2 5 _.. Roughntti 'ara malar,*

LEGEND m
Rough Circular Cylind •r IR.idl <
4 to
0.01
• /"dia,Telephone Cable (Smooth, Polyethylene!
Zojac 119571.
001 m
1 U , a li . •

+ li dia., Telephone Coble (Rough, Tor-impregnated — k^Sn^. i ,


Jute)-Zojac 11957] 3I0O-- -:
« li dia, 7i7, Stranded Mb. Steel Aircroft Coble - 0005 -v ^nyoj—
o.oos
Pode (19501
->^ 'cut,,
Cy
• i i

t i"dia., 7MI9, Stranded Mo. Steel Aircroft Coble -


Pode 119501 ""»(*.
on' S8s== ::
• /"dia., 7x19, Stranded Mo Steel Aircraft Coble -
Pode (19501. MXS
—D 0 0 2 - - t •
D
J)' _j
0002
• 4mm dia., Stranded Oceonographic Coble - Mbsby
119521. -
T IZnm dia.. Stranded Trawling Coble - Kullenberg (19511

H-^'
5 2 5
1 10 10' » 10" PO1 '
1 I0» t 5 10*

REYNOLDS NUMBER
Fig. 3 Normal drag coefficient CD versus normal Reynolds number R„ and tangential drag coefficient CV versus tangential Reynolds number R, for
cables (Berteaux [1])

EFFECTIVE NORMAL
DRAG COEFFICIENT

(a) RIBBON (b) FRINGE


CURRENT
Ift/secl

1 RMS VIBRATION AMPLITUDE (inches]


• (c) HAIR

0 1800 3600 6400 7200

Fig. 4 A time history of the effective normal drag coefficient aCD, the rms
TIME (sec) -^^^^T ^3^3XN3
cable vibration amplitude perpendicular to the current, and the current
recorded during a field experiment on a Vi-in. cable stretched horizontally (d) HERRINGBONE RIDGE (e) HELICAL RIDGE
to the current (Griffin, et al. [3]) Fig. 5 Strumming suppression devices

minimum possible buoyancy. The trial static configuration of or


the slack, single-point moor is then obtained directly by a
simultaneous step-by-step integration from s = L to s = sD of if sD > 0 but Rz(sD) = 0 (106)
equations (8a) and (9), together with a simultaneous step-by- In the latter case, the segment of cable from s = 0 to s = sD
step evaluation off. lays on the sea floor and has its resultant force vector given
The point s = sD along the cable represents that arc length by
at which it reaches the seafloor or Pz(sD) = 0. The trial
configuration corresponds to the true equilibrium configura- R(j < SD) = {RxiSp), Ry(Sn), 0)
tion
If the trial configuration does not satisfy either equation
if s» = 0 and P z (0) = 0 (10a) (1 Oa) or (1 Ob), then the trial buoyancy force RLZ, T is incorrect.

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The trial value is incremented and the procedure repeated that, in equation (8a), Rz.3 = Rz,3,r, Rz.2 = Rz.2,7- and
until the proper equilibrium buoyancy is found. Rii = Re>2 + R03 + R/., while, in equation (8o"), P 0 2 = PLl
and P03 = Pii. The formulas corresponding to equations
3 Multi-Point Moors: The Method of Imaginary Reac- (11) are
tions. Consider the two-point, subsurface mooring shown in
Fig. 8(a) and assume again, for the moment, that the hydro- E=[\PL2-PL2.T\2+\PI.3-PL3.T\2V/2 (12a)
dynamic loads on cables 1 and 2 are known as functions of
s, and s2, respectively. To analyze this array, we cut cable 2 RL2.T = RZ.2,T-+ (8/E)(PL2 - PL2,T) (12ft)
at its anchor point PL2 and apply at the freed end the trial RUT= RLI.T+ WE)(PL3 - PL3,T) (12C)
reaction Rz.2,7- as shown in Fig. 8(b). The static configuration
of this cut array is determined from equations (8) by noting Further generalizations can be found in references [4-6].
that, in equation (8a), R i 2 = Ri2,r and RL, = R 02 + RL
(RL is again the hydrodynamic load on the buoy), and that, C Dynamic Solutions. The determination of the dy-
in equation (8a"), P 0 2 = Pz.[. namic response to wave action of a surface-penetrating moor-
ing system is necessary to insure that design guidelines for the
Generally, the calculated trial endpoint Pz,2,7- of cable 2 will system are satisfied. Currently, no solution to the general
not coincide with the true endpoint P i 2 , the distance error E dynamic problem, which is formulated in reference [ 1 ], exists.
being given by In this section, we review several approximate solutions which
E= | P i 2 - P z . 2 , r | (11a) are frequently satisfactory for design purposes.
I Cables as Restraining Springs (Inertialess Approxima-
To reduce this error, we try a new trial reaction tion). If the mass of the fixed or floating structure being
R'L2.T = Rx.2.7- + WE)(PL2 ~ PL2,T) (1 lft) restrained by the mooring system is much larger than the total
mass of the cables in the system, then the dynamic response
where, initially, 5 is any positive number, and calculate Pi. 2 , r of the structure to wave action can be analyzed by treating
and E'. HE' <E, a successful step has been made and the the cables as inertialess springs attached to the structure. The
primed quantities replace the unprimed in equations (11). inertialess spring approximation is useful for guyed towers,
The procedure is repeated with 5 unchanged. If E' > E, the tension leg platforms, ship moorings, and taut or slack moor-
primed quantities are rejected and the procedure is continued ings restraining large surface buoys.
by replacing 5 by 5/2 in equation (lib). Eventually, E be- We assume that the static configuration of the mooring
comes as small as desired and the equilibrium configuration system has been found and that the point of attachment Pi
under the assumed hydrodynamic loads is found. As in of a cable to the structure undergoes a small dynamic displace-
Fig. 6, these loads are then recalculated and the procedure ment SPL. The effect of this displacement is to cause the cable
repeated. to exert a restoring force ¥L on the structure. The relationship
The method of imaginary reactions just described is readily is
generalized. For example, for the three-point moor shown in
Fig. 9, we need only realize to calculate the static configuration FL = -KLSPL (13)

Table 1 Drag amplification factors for bare cable and for where KL is the cable spring constant matrix at the structure.
common strumming suppression devices (Every, King, and
Weaver [2]) We find that KL is the inverse of the compliance matrix CL,
Suppression Comments Amplification or
device factor a
Bare cable Horizontal 2.00 KL = CV 1 (14a)
Riser 1.50
Ribbon 4-6 d long 1.67
l-2d wide where the nine elements Ca„ of CL are, from reference [7],
\-2d spacing
Fringe 4-6 d long 1.67
Id spacing C
Hair 6 d long 1.00
Q.5d spacing
Herringbone ridge 0.25a' height 1.50 1-K1-7M*) R (s)R„(s)\-ds (14ft)
3 a
Helical ridge 0.25d" height 1.50 T (s)

STATIC SOLUTION
OBTAINED
i \
YES

CALCULATE HYDROSTATIC CALCULATE CONFIGURATION HAS CONFIGURATION


LOADS RLZ AND f w = - w k UNDER LOAD BY CHANGED BY LESS THAN
ON MOORING SYSTEM NUMERICAL QUADRATURE DESIRED AMOUNT FROM
OF EQUATIONS (8) PREVIOUS CONFIGURATION?

i I NO
'
CALCULATE ESTIMATED

ON THIS corJFIGURATION

Fig. 6 Iterative procedure for calculating the equilibrium configuration of a single-point subsurface moor

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Here, M, M H , and M v are, respectively, the mass, the added
mass for horizontal motion, and the added mass for vertical
motion of the buoy and K B is the self-restoring constant of
D
the buoy for vertical motions.
2 Transverse and Longitudinal Vibrations. When the
inertialess cable approximation is inappropriate, the dynamics
of the cable must be taken into account. With reference to
the taut mooring in Fig. 10, the resonant natural frequencies
S=o -~~
S = So
Fig. 7 Definition sketch for a single-point surface moor B

s=L

z
y 0 5=
x x ..............--r----""-=-=.-!:-_=-.",_,....------
W IW x
Fig. 10 Taut, single-point surface moor
Fig. 8 Analysis of a multi-point SUbsurface moor: (a) two-point moor;
(b) two-point moor with trial reactions applied

LEFT LAY RIGHT LAY

x
(al Ibl
Fig. 9 Analysis of a three-point subsurface moor: (a) three-point moor;
(b) three-point moor with trial reactions applied

Here, a and {3 take the values X, Y, and Z; and 00.13 is defined Ie)
by (00.13 = 1, a = (3), (00.13 = 0, a 'I' (3). Fig. 11 ElCamples of regular lay. wire ropes (Wilson (9»: (a) 6 x 7;
As an example, we consider the taut, vertical mooring (b) 6 x 24-7 fiber cores; (c) 6 x 37
shown in Fig. 10. For a buoy with resultant buoyancy Band
a neutrally buoyant cable, we have Rx = 0, R y = 0, R z = B,
T = B and ~ = ~o = (B/Q)". We then find
BID 0 0
~L = 0 BID 0 (15)

o o
where we have used (1 + ~o)L = D with D = the depth of the
mooring. To obtain the equations of motion for the tethered
buoy, we need simply add the restoring force FL = -KLoPL
=
to its untethered equations of motion. For buoy motions in
the horizontal plane, the resonant radial natural frequency WH
is, with the inertialess cable approximation,
B ]1/2
WH = [ D(M+ MH ) (16a)

while, in the vertical direction, we find


KB 1 + ~o B ]1/2 Fig. 12 ElCamples of synthetic fiber ropes (BerteaulC [1]): (a) stranded;
(16b) (b) plaited; (c) braided; (d) parallel yams (Nalaroe ); (e) parallel
WI' = [M + Mv + ----;:- D(M + M v ) yarns (Unilinee )

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for motions in the transverse (horizontal) direction are found 3 Coupled Vibrations. The analysis of mooring system
from the transcendental equation dynamics around a slack (or curved) equilibrium configura-
tion of the mooring cables is beyond our scope. For this case,
(M + M„)o3H2 the transverse and longitudinal vibrations are coupled and
1/2 -J
(m + ma)a>H2 (m + ma)wH2 the governing equations are quite complex. Recourse to com-
=B ctn £>j (17a) puter simulation is usually necessary. Details can be found in
B references [1 and 8].
where m and m„ are, respectively, the mass and added mass
per unit length of the cable. Generally ma = (ir/4)pfip. For Ill Types and Characteristics of Cables
vertical motions, we have
A Materials and Contruction. Oceanographic cables in
(M+Mv)uy2-KB common use are broadly classified in three categories: wire
tWV / 2 _D_l ropes usually made of an improved plow steel; synthetic fiber
/mo)|/2\'/2
1
\"" l/mco ropes constructed from nylon, Dacron®, polypropylene, pol-
(176)
e ) l + Co] yethylene, or Kevlar®; and chain. Wire ropes consist of wires
with wound into strands and strands wound into ropes. Typical
regular lay, wire rope constructions and nomenclature are
B_
(I7c)
7« D Table 3 Comparison of the characteristics of wire and
synthetic fiber ropes with identical breaking strengths
Ratio of
Table 2 Mechanical characteristics of wire and synthetic weight
fiber ropes and chain Ratio of
Ratio of per ft in drag Elongation
Material dia to per
water to ft to wire at 20
Cb C„. ce construction wire rope wire rope rope drag percent of
Material construction (lb/in2) (lb/in2) 7 breaking
(lb/in2) dia weight per ft (percent)
Improved plow steel per ft in
Regular lay wire rope 85,000 1.23 7.9 x 106 1 water
Chain"" 85,000 8.70 — Improved plow 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.2
Nylon 5 steel
Nonparallel yarns 25,000 0.033 2.2 X 10 '/2
Regular lay
Dacron Nylon
Nonparallel yarns 22,000 0.084 9.0 x 1055 '/2
Nonparallel yarns 1.84 0.09 1.84 15.0
Parallel yarns 40,000 0.084 4.0 X 10 1 Dacron
Polypropylene Nonparallel yarns 1.97 0.26 1.97 7.0
Nonparallel yarns 14,000 -0.016 2.8 x 105 ¥l
Parallel yarns 1.46 0.15 1.46 2.0
Polyethylene Polypropylene
Nonparallel yarns 12,500 -0.010 6.9 X 105 Vi
Nonparallel yarns 2.46 -0.08 2.46 10.0
Kelvar Polyethylene
Nonparallel yarns 69,000 0.090 2.3 x 106 I Nonparallel yarns 2.61 -0.06 2.61 6.0
6
Parallel yarns 84,000 0.090 2.8 x 10 1 Kevlar
(0) Nonparallel yarns 1.11 0.09 1.11 0.6
For chain, the diameter d in equations (18) and (19) is the bar
(wire) diameter Parallel yarns 1.01 0.07 1.01 0.6

,A-

CHARGE
SHACKLE CROWN DRIVER (GUN)

STOCK
REACTION PLATE

FLUKE
FLUKE AND PENDANT

(a)

FLUKES

CONCRETE OR
CAST IRON
BLOCK

^SCAST
w
IRON
SLABS

Id) <c2)
Fig. 13 Typical anchors: ( a ) drag embedment [ 1 ] ; (b) direct embedment [10]; ( d ) deadweight clump
[10]; ( c 2 ) deadweight porcupine [1]

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shown in Fig. 11 (from reference [9]). In regular lay construc- Appropriate values for C„., Ce, and y are given in Table 2.
tion the directions of winding the wires into the strands and Equation (20) applies to a cable that has been loaded and
the strands into the rope are opposed thus preventing the rope unloaded to 50 percent breaking strength several (two or three)
from unlaying under tension. In a second type construction, times to allow its "construction-set" to become permanent.
Lang lay, the directions of winding are the same. Lang lay
ropes tend to unlay (unwind) under tension and are generally
unsuitable for mooring system applications. Synthetic fiber Table 4 Selection guidelines for anchors (Taylor and
lines can be constructed similarly to wire ropes or, because of Valent [11])
the flexibility of the fibers, in a variety of configurations. Drag Direct
Typical examples of synthetic fiber rope construction are embed- Dead-
Parameter
ment weight Pile embed-
ment
shown in Fig. 12 (from reference [1]). Because of its weight,
chain is seldom used as a mooring cable except in shallow
Seafloor material
mooring systems. However, lengths of chain are frequently Sand or gravel'"' +
inserted in mooring systems to provide extra strength, weight, + + +
Mud or soft clay*"' + + - +
and abrasion resistance where necessary. Typical locations are Stiff clay' + + + +
adjacent to the anchor and adjacent to the buoy; the former Very stiff clay or glacial till — + + +
for extra weight and abrasion resistance, the latter for extra Soft rock or coral 0 + + +
Hard, monolithic rock 0 + - —
strength and extra weight to enhance buoy stability. Boulders 0 + 0 0
Seafloor topography
B Mechanical Characteristics. The ultimate, or break- <10 deg slope + + + +
ing, strength 7* of a cable is proportional to the square of the >10 deg slope 0 0 + +
Loading Direction
cable diameter Unidirectional + + + +
Omnidirectional 0 + + —
T„ = Cbd2 (18) Large vertical component 0 + + +
Horizontal load range
The constant of proportionality Cb is summarized in Table 2 <100,000 lb + + — +
for commonly used cable materials and constructions. The 100,000 lb-1,000,000 lb + — + —
cable weight per unit length in water and constitutive rela- > 1,000,000 lb 0 0 + 0
tionship, equation (3), are also functions of the square of the Positioning requirement
Not exact + + + +
diameter Exact 0 + + +
(a)
w = C„,d2 (19) Assumes depth of material is sufficient for anchor embedment
before harder sublayer is reached.
Key: +, functions well
(20) —, normally not a good choice
0, does not function

800

600
500
Q-

a.
300 -
< o
Q-

< <
o a. 200
<
Z o
a (5
_i
o O
i I
z _i
100 -,
o z
b!
o 80 -,
o b!
cc
I o
i 60
50

40

30
6 7 8 910 20 6 7 8 9 10 20
ANCHOR AIR WEIGHT (KIPS) ANCHOR AIR WEIGHT (KIPS)
(a) (b)
NOTE: IF ANCHORS ARE USED
IN STIFF CLAY
REDUCE HOLDING
CAPACITY BY 25%
Fig. 14 Holding capacity of drag embedment anchors (Taylor and Valent [11]): (a) in sand or gravel and stiff clay (note 25 percent reduction); (6) in
mud or soft clay

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The construction-set occurs because the initial loadings per- material. Equation (21) is also applicable to lengths of chain
manently tighten a new cable. The pre-working process is or cable lying on the seafloor. In this case, Ry = 0 and Wis
necessary if accurate control of cable length is required in the the total weight (in water) of the segment lying on the seafloor.
mooring. The friction coefficient fi is summarized in Table 5 for various
The characteristics of wire and synthetic fiber ropes having anchors, chain, and wire rope.
identical breaking strengths are compared in Table 3.
V Miscellaneous Hardware
IV Types and Characteristics of Anchors
Various types of shackles, swivels, and terminations are
A Selection Guidelines. Anchors are broadly classified required to join the major components of a mooring system
into four categories—drag embedment anchors, deadweight together. Additionally, electrical breakouts, instrumentation
anchors, pile anchors, and direct embedment anchors. Several housings, and distributed floatation devices are necessary in
examples are shown in Fig. 13 (from references [1 and 10]). many mooring system applications.
A drag embedment anchor must be set by horizontally pulling This miscellaneous hardware is frequently the weakest link
the anchor along the bottom to allow it to dig in and hold; in in a mooring system and special care must be taken in
contrast, a direct embedment anchor is explosively driven selecting and using the appropriate hardware. Details on
into the seafloor from a special cradle set on the bottom. A mooring hardware can be found in references [1 and 10].
deadweight anchor can be simply lowered or allowed to fall
into place. A pile anchor is actually a column driven into the Acknowledgments
seafloor. Selection guidelines for anchors as a function of
seafloor material and topography, loading, and positioning The work presented in this paper was supported, in part,
by Naval Ocean Research and Development Activity
requirements are summarized in Table 4 (from reference (NORDA) Contract N00014-86-K-6001.
[11]).
B Holding Characteristics. The ultimate horizontal load References
holding capacity, RHu, versus anchor weight in air for a
number of drag embedment anchors is shown in Fig. 14 1 Berteaux, H. O., Buoy Engineering, John Wiley and Sons, New York,
(from reference [11]). Figure 14(a) is applicable to sand or N.Y., 1976.
2 Every, M. J., King, R., and Weaver, D. S., "Vortex-Excited Vibrations
gravel and stiff clay, while Fig. \4{b) is applicable to mud or of Cylinders and Cables and Their Suppression," Ocean Engineering, Vol. 9,
soft clay. No. 2, 1982, pp. 135-157.
The ultimate horizontal load-holding capacity for a dead- 3 Griffin, O. M., et al., "The Strumming Vibrations of Marine Cables,"
weight anchor is, for small (<10 deg) seafloor slope, Ocean Science and Engineering, Vol. 7, No. 4, 1982, pp. 461-498.
4 Skop, R. A., and O'Hara, G. J., "The Method of Imaginary Reactions:
A New Technique for Analyzing Structural Cable Systems," Marine Technology
RHU = ti(W - Ry) (21) Society Journal, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1970, pp. 21-30.
5 Skop, R. A., and O'Hara, G. J., "A Method for the Analysis of Internally
where W is the weight of the anchor in water, Rv is the Redundant Structural Cable Arrays," Marine Technology Journal, Vol. 6, No.
resultant force in the vertical direction exerted by the mooring 1, 1972, pp. 6-18.
on the anchor, and /t is the friction coefficient of the seafloor 6 Skop, R. A., and Rosenthal, F., "Method of Imaginary Reactions for
Taut Cables," Journal of the Structural Division, ASCE, Vol. 108, No. ST7,
1982, pp. 1669-1671.
7 Skop, R. A., "Cable Spring Constants for Guyed Tower Analysis,"
Journal of the Structural Division, ASCE, Vol. 105, No. ST7, 1979, pp. 1307-
Table 5 Friction coefficients for deadweight anchors 1318.
Friction coefficient n'a) 8 Triantafyllou, M. S., "Linear Dynamics of Cables and Chains," The
Type Shock and Vibration Digest, Vol. 16, No. 3, 1984, pp. 9-17.
anchor Sand Mud or Stiff 9 Wilson, B. W., "Elastic Characteristics of Moorings," Journal of the
soft clay clay Waterways and Harbors Division, ASCE, Vol. 93, No. WW4, 1967, pp. 27-
Clump 0.98 0.60 0.84 56.
Porcupine 0.98 0.70 0.98 10 Myers, J. J., Holm, C. H., and McAllister, R. K, eds., Handbook of
Chain 0.98 0.90 1.25 Ocean and Underwater Engineering, McGraw-Hill, New York, N.Y., 1969.
Wire Rope 0.98 0.45 0.63 11 Taylor, R., and Valent, P., "Design Guide for Drag Embedment An-
chors," TN No. N-1688, Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory, Port Hueneme,
Average values for design. Actual values can vary by ±25 percent. Calif., 1984.

372/Vol. 110, NOVEMBER 1988 Transactions of the ASME

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