Wave slam on high speed wave piercing catamaran ferries in large seas. Australia has taken a pioneering lead in the design of high speed multi-hull ferries and continues to extend their speed, range and payload performance. Design leadership and the technology which supports it are crucial to maintaining the existing large share of the international market for such vessels. Recently freight and military transport vessels have been exposed to much more severe wave conditions than passenger vessel ....Wave slam on high speed wave piercing catamaran ferries in large seas. Australia has taken a pioneering lead in the design of high speed multi-hull ferries and continues to extend their speed, range and payload performance. Design leadership and the technology which supports it are crucial to maintaining the existing large share of the international market for such vessels. Recently freight and military transport vessels have been exposed to much more severe wave conditions than passenger vessels and this has increased the need for improved prediction of structural loads due to waves. This project directly addresses that need by computation and model testing validation. The industry is a significant export earner and employer within Australia and so the project directly underpins those national benefits. Read moreRead less
Asymmetric and nonlinear unsteady loads on high speed ferries. Large high speed catamarans are expanding their domain of application from coastal passenger routes to ocean freight and military service. This is shifting operability criteria from motions and passenger discomfort to structural load limitations in severe wave environments. This project investigates large wave structural load prediction. Large waves lead to strongly non-linear responses, invalidating many methods of analysis. Predict ....Asymmetric and nonlinear unsteady loads on high speed ferries. Large high speed catamarans are expanding their domain of application from coastal passenger routes to ocean freight and military service. This is shifting operability criteria from motions and passenger discomfort to structural load limitations in severe wave environments. This project investigates large wave structural load prediction. Large waves lead to strongly non-linear responses, invalidating many methods of analysis. Prediction of loads on the transverse structure is also not possible with many prediction methods. This project will develop and validate by experiment fully time domain computational methods for the prediction of asymmetric structural loads due to large wavesRead moreRead less
Remote sensing to improve structural efficiency of high-speed catamarans. This project aims to develop a monitoring system to remotely measure ship motions, loads and ride control activity under commercial operations. Data will be analysed using advanced statistical methods to inform evidence-based design to improve both structural efficiency and passenger comfort. The research will impact on design rules used worldwide, reducing weight and increasing payload and transport efficiency for this cl ....Remote sensing to improve structural efficiency of high-speed catamarans. This project aims to develop a monitoring system to remotely measure ship motions, loads and ride control activity under commercial operations. Data will be analysed using advanced statistical methods to inform evidence-based design to improve both structural efficiency and passenger comfort. The research will impact on design rules used worldwide, reducing weight and increasing payload and transport efficiency for this class of vessel. A "Smart” semi-autonomous interface will be developed to provide on-board seakeeping guidance to the ship captain. This technology will have significant benefits such as increased ship safety, vessel longevity and improving passenger comfort for all types of vessels worldwide including high-speed catamarans.Read moreRead less
Investigation of potential spudcan punch through failure. The safe and economic use of mobile jack-up structures is critical to the prosperous development of Australia's significant offshore oil and gas industry. However, their use is hindered by potential 'punch-through' failure during installation, when their large conical footings can unexpectedly and uncontrollably push a locally strong zone of soil into underlying softer material. To improve their safety, this research will investigate a po ....Investigation of potential spudcan punch through failure. The safe and economic use of mobile jack-up structures is critical to the prosperous development of Australia's significant offshore oil and gas industry. However, their use is hindered by potential 'punch-through' failure during installation, when their large conical footings can unexpectedly and uncontrollably push a locally strong zone of soil into underlying softer material. To improve their safety, this research will investigate a potential new site-investigation procedure and develop an appropriate calculation method for predicting failures for sites where sand overlies clay. Results will be based on a series of innovative physical and numerical experiments, and assessed against field data and existing industry standards.Read moreRead less
Deterioration of structural integrity of ageing ships and marine platforms. Deterioration of structural integrity of ageing ships and marine platforms. This project will research the deterioration of structural integrity and remaining life of marine assets such as ships and offshore energy facilities, by integrating structural response analysis methods with aged-structure assessment techniques. Maritime assets exposed to ocean conditions suffer from time dependent phenomena, which reduce structu ....Deterioration of structural integrity of ageing ships and marine platforms. Deterioration of structural integrity of ageing ships and marine platforms. This project will research the deterioration of structural integrity and remaining life of marine assets such as ships and offshore energy facilities, by integrating structural response analysis methods with aged-structure assessment techniques. Maritime assets exposed to ocean conditions suffer from time dependent phenomena, which reduce structural capability, affect safety and could have catastrophic environmental and economic consequences. Making assets available and affordably safe is a problem for operators. The key to prolonging asset life is in understanding the interrelationships over time between the asset’s structural condition and its use. Anticipated outcomes are superior safety, expected lifetime and economic benefits of maritime assets.Read moreRead less
Ship response under corrosion, fatigue and complex sea-state environments. This project will improve understanding of the gradual deterioration of ships and maritime structures subject to metal corrosion, fatigue and extreme sea-state conditions. Increasingly such understanding is necessary for optimal asset management decisions. These include the potential economic, personnel and other risks involved for ship owners and operators, including the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The project will use ....Ship response under corrosion, fatigue and complex sea-state environments. This project will improve understanding of the gradual deterioration of ships and maritime structures subject to metal corrosion, fatigue and extreme sea-state conditions. Increasingly such understanding is necessary for optimal asset management decisions. These include the potential economic, personnel and other risks involved for ship owners and operators, including the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The project will use numerical simulation. It will tackle the Fluid-Structure Interaction problem of ships in waves by integrating Finite Element structural response analysis with cutting-edge Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics methods. The outcomes will provide new insight into remaining asset life and for exploring optimal maintenance strategiesRead moreRead less
Efficiently unlocking full-scale WEC dynamics for industry cost reduction. This project will reduce the cost of ocean wave energy, by uniting leading expertise from academia with cutting-edge know-how and full-scale data from industry to advance the way oceanic forces on wave energy converters are represented in industry models. These models are critical for designing and controlling the next generation of wave energy converters, which have larger motions than ever before. Carefully tested model ....Efficiently unlocking full-scale WEC dynamics for industry cost reduction. This project will reduce the cost of ocean wave energy, by uniting leading expertise from academia with cutting-edge know-how and full-scale data from industry to advance the way oceanic forces on wave energy converters are represented in industry models. These models are critical for designing and controlling the next generation of wave energy converters, which have larger motions than ever before. Carefully tested models will lead to better estimates of power production and loads, which will drive down the cost of wave energy and enable its large-scale utilisation. Broad communication of benefits and sharing of new knowledge will accelerate commercialisation of ocean energy in Australia and pave the way to meeting our future energy needs.Read moreRead less
Interplay of Microbiological Corrosion and Alloy Microstructure in Failures of Advanced Stainless Steels and their Weldments in Marine Environments. The proposed research program investigates the role of microbiologically-induced corrosion (MIC) on stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of weldments of advanced stainless steels (SS). Extensive premature SCC failures of SS weldments have lately become increasingly significant in Australian marine industry, following the inability of advanced SCC-resista ....Interplay of Microbiological Corrosion and Alloy Microstructure in Failures of Advanced Stainless Steels and their Weldments in Marine Environments. The proposed research program investigates the role of microbiologically-induced corrosion (MIC) on stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of weldments of advanced stainless steels (SS). Extensive premature SCC failures of SS weldments have lately become increasingly significant in Australian marine industry, following the inability of advanced SCC-resistant SS to alleviate failures. Inconsistencies in SCC data call for an improved understanding of the role of MIC on SCC, particularly because recent failure analyses have indicated a profound role of microbiological activity on localised corrosion (viz., pitting) of stainless steels and their weldments, as well as because pitting is known to facilitate SCC initiation.Read moreRead less
Wave to Wire: Optimising Hydrodynamic Performance and Capture Efficiency of Next Generation Ocean Wave Energy Systems. Wave energy in the oceans of the world represents a vast renewable energy resource that has not been tapped. This project will play a crucial role in maximising the performance and economic viability of a unique Australian wave energy technology. We will develop a dynamically integrated theoretical model aimed at capturing the complex behaviour of ocean waves and optimising the ....Wave to Wire: Optimising Hydrodynamic Performance and Capture Efficiency of Next Generation Ocean Wave Energy Systems. Wave energy in the oceans of the world represents a vast renewable energy resource that has not been tapped. This project will play a crucial role in maximising the performance and economic viability of a unique Australian wave energy technology. We will develop a dynamically integrated theoretical model aimed at capturing the complex behaviour of ocean waves and optimising the energy capture efficiency of the Oscillating Water Column (OWC) wave energy system. One of the most exciting aspects of the technology is its potential to provide on-site bulk desalination of seawater, whilst being driven entirely by renewable energy. It will also result in significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation.Read moreRead less
Vulnerability mapping of hazards and economic loss assessment of offshore oil and gas platforms subject to accidental explosion and fires. In Australia, up to 100 offshore oil and gas wells per year are drilled, but fire and explosion are a risk. This project develops vulnerability maps of offshore platforms subjected to accidental explosions, so that economic loss, environmental and social impact can be effectively assessed based on these factors and mitigation measures can be introduced.