Experimental evaluation of performance of VLFS with breakwater

Abstract

Very large floating structures (VLFS) have merits such as economical efficiency and environment conservation in ocean space utilization. Since the length or breadth of VLFS is large compared to structural depth, hydroelasticity should be considered in evaluation of design performance. Experimental methods for performance evaluation of VLFS considering hydroelasticity are discussed in this study. Model test results of VLFS linked with hinged breakwater and VLFS with oscillating water column (OWC) breakwater are presented. Experimental results are also compared with numerical results by boundary element method (BEM) or finite element method (FEM).