Hydroelastic response of an articulated VLFS : experimental, potential flow and CFD insights.

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Arredondo-Galeana, Abel and Brown, Scott and Ogden, David and Greaves, Deborah and Brennan, Feargal (2026) Hydroelastic response of an articulated VLFS : experimental, potential flow and CFD insights. In: 10th international Conference on Hydroelasticity in Marine Technology, 2026-06-16 - 2026-06-18, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). (In Press)

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Abstract

A novel experimental campaign for an articulated VLFS is carried out to test the performance of the platform subject to irregular sea states. Rigid and hinged connectors are utilised to analyse performance. Different numerical methods are implemented to compare their accuracy. Two potential flow solvers, namely the discrete-module-beam (DMB) method and the open source potential flow solver SEA-Stack Hydrochrono. And a CFD Openfoam framework specifically developed for articulated VLFS. We compare the performance of the numerical methods to predict the vertical and relative pitch angle motions of the platform. Limitations and strengths of the methods are analysed. In terms of performance, we find that the irregular sea state response of the VLFS is similar to that found previously in regular sea state studies, while the capability of load alleviation remains crucial with hinged connections as opposed to rigid connections. Extreme hinge angle responses show a potential range of 15-20 degrees maximum response, both with experiments and CFD. This work paves the way to efficient low-order open source numerical methods in the field of articulated and hydroelastic VLFS.

ORCID iDs

Arredondo-Galeana, Abel ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2408-7062, Brown, Scott, Ogden, David, Greaves, Deborah and Brennan, Feargal ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0952-6167;
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