An investigation was undertaken to determine if a limiting relationship exists between the float diameter and the length of the ballast section in the beam direction. In a random sea, the ballast/float assembly attempts to follow the sea surface variations and to move towards an equilibrium between buoyant and inertial forces. Assuming a large number of floats per rigid ballast section, a fixed ballast length (B), and a constant volume of floats independent of float diameter (D), the attitude of the ballast can be considered to be nearly independent of float diameter. It was concluded under conditions of limited fetch and short wave lengths, selection of small float diameters and reasonable ballast lengths could result in a critical condition. Under ocean wave conditions, with the float diameters presently anticipated, the ballast section lengths required to yield a critical condition would far exceed the limits imposed by bending strength, handling and logistics. Therefore, it can be concluded that D/B ratio does not present a realistic design restraint on the tethered float breakwater except for smaller scale applications.
Design Limits on Critical Float Emergence in a Tethered Float Breakwater
1976
13 pages
Report
No indication
English
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