Three-dimensional dynamic analysis method of multi-component mooring lines

Complicated mooring system well-known as a multi-component mooring line is highly required owing to the deep depth of water and severe sea conditions. Since the dynamic behaviors of such mooring line are quite complex, proper numerical method is indispensable to predict the dynamic behaviors of a multi-component mooring line efficiently and precisely. In this paper, a numerical method improving the lumped mass method is proposed to introduce the three-dimensional dynamic analysis of multi-component mooring line with the motion of an anchor and clump weights. The mooring line is regarded as a multi-component object which has nonuniform segment line characteristics. In this method, lumped mass technique is developed to represent the three-dimensional dynamic behavior of each segment individually, allowing the motion of bottom-end segment as well as the anchor. Then, the motion of the end-segment is regarded as the motion of the upper-end of lower segment. Meanwhile, calculation method of initial condition for dynamic calculation is developed by adopting the basic principle of multi-component mooring line catenary equations. The results of time histories representing the three-dimensional dynamic analysis of mooring line are obtained and compared with other numerical and experimental results presented in published papers. The results show good agreement with both numerical and experimental results.