Abstract
A numerical procedure is described for predicting the motion and structural responses of tension leg platforms(TLPs) in waves. The developed numerical approach is based on a combination of a three dimensional source distribution method and the dynamic response analysis method, in which the superstructure of TLPs is assumed to be flexible instead of rigid. Restoring forces by hydrostatic pressure on the submerged surface of a TLP have been accurately calculated by excluding the assumption of the slender body theory. The hydrodynamic interactions among TLP members, such as columns and pontoons, and the structural damping are included in the motion and structural analysis. The equations of motion of a whole structure are formulated using element-fixed coordinate systems which have the orgin at the nodes of the each hull element and move parallel to a space-fixed coordinate system. Numerical results are compared with the experimental and numerical ones, which are obtained in the literature, concerning the motion and structural responses of a TLP in waves. The results of comparison confirmed the validity of the proposed approach.
