Connection design for two-floating beam system for minimum hydroelastic response

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the connection design for a two-floating beam system for minimum hydroelastic response. The frequency domain approach is used for the hydroelastic analysis. The fluid is modelled as an ideal fluid, and the floating beams are modelled by the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. The boundary element method (BEM) and the finite element method (FEM) are applied to solve the governing equation of the fluid motion and the beam equation of motion, respectively. The study aims to investigate the optimum location and rotational stiffness of the connection for the two-floating beam system with the view to minimize the compliance. The study also investigates the effects of relative beam stiffnesses on the hydroelastic response of the two-floating beam system. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.