Technical Papers and Presentations

This paper will present a numerical model based on COMSOL Multiphysics suited to simulate the dynamic response of a catenary mooring (or a submarine cable). In general, mooring lines are subject to a direct wave load (e.g. drag, inertia) in addition to the movement of the vessel to which they are linked. Tests were carried out at the wave flume of the Maritime Laboratory of IMAGE Department, Padova University. Wave induced loads were measured at the fairlead of a chain in catenary configuration, with the peculiarity that the fairlead is hinged to a fixed point, simply subject to the load induced by regular waves. The numerical model evaluates the orbital wave velocity in the relative system and solves the equations describing the dynamic movements of a chain in weak formulation with COMSOL Multiphysics.