Floating Double Deck Pier Fenders
Abstract
A long term test program was performed by the University of California San Diego (UCSD) under contract by Berger/ABAM to determine the level of performance of the fender configuration used on the Modular Hybrid Pier (MHP) Test Bed. During the test, the fender underwent an undesirable sideway buckling. Berger/ABAM revised the fender design for the Floating Double Deck Pier (FDDP) by redesigning the MHP Test Bed uniaxial fender composed of two rubber elements to a biaxial fender composed of four rubber elements. The Naval Facilities (NAVFAC) Engineering Service Center (ESC) has been tasked to investigate the non-linear behavior of this new rubber fender configuration using finite element modeling to determine if this biaxial configuration is adequate for the FDDP and if additional tests are required. The modeling proved that the biaxial configuration does provide greater resistance in the direction which was more prone to sideway buckling in the uniaxial configuration. However, the modeling also indicated that the uniaxial fender used in the MHP Test Bed collapsed in both the direction prone to failure and in the direction that was intended to provide greater resistance. Based on these findings, it appears that the friction force between the fender and the mooring shaft may be too large for the proposed biaxial fender configuration despite the addition of two rubber elements. Analysis and testing will need to be carried out to determine if the fender will provide enough resistance to overcome sideway buckling from the frictional forces or alternate mooring concepts may need to be considered.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA555164
Entities
People
- Cameron Stewart
- Darren Finklea
- Joseph Abraham
Organizations
- Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command