In this paper, the analytical model is established on base of multi-segment partitioning strategy and first-order shear deformation theory. The displacement functions are made up of the Jacobi polynomials along the axial direction and Fourier series along the circumferential direction. In order to obtain continuity conditions and satisfy arbitrary boundary conditions, the penalty method about spring technique is adopted. The solutions about free vibration behaviors of combined composite laminated shell were obtained by approach of Rayleigh–Ritz. The convergence study and numerical verifications are carried out. Results show that the proposed method has a good stable and rapid convergence property.

With the expansion of floating photovoltaics, rigid connectors offer advantages over polyester ropes by reducing the relative motion of floats and simplifying the layout of the connection system. However, the overall stability and safety of the floating photovoltaic system may be compromised if a wave crest occurs at the connection point of the rigid connector during motion. Furthermore, the rigid connectors with different degrees of freedom significantly impact the motion of the floats and their connection loads. In this study, three types of single-rod rigid connector models with varying constraints are established through numerical simulation to explore the feasibility of applying single-rod rigid connectors with different degrees of freedom in photovoltaic systems. Based on their degrees of freedom, these connectors are classified as cardan, purely rigid, and hinged. An analysis of float motion and connector loads in two-floating, four-floating, and eight-floating systems shows that as the number of floats increases, the axial distance between them decreases, resulting in more intense motion. Despite this, the eight-floating system maintains a certain safety distance. The maximum load on the connectors occurs in the middle of the multi-floating system, and releasing degrees of freedom can help mitigate some of the load effects.

This paper adopted a semi-analytical method based on eigenfunction matching to solve the problem of sharp resonance of cylindrical structures with a moonpool that has a restricted entrance. To eliminate the sharp resonance and to measure the viscous effect, a quadratic dissipation is introduced by assuming an additional dissipative disk at the moonpool entrance. The fluid domain is divided into five cylindrical subdomains, and the velocity potential in each subdomain is obtained by meeting the Laplace equation as well as the boundary conditions. The free-surface elevation at the center of the moonpool, along with the pressure and velocity at the restricted entrance for first-order wave are evaluated. By choosing appropriate dissipation coefficients, the free-surface elevation calculated at the center of the moonpool is in coincidence with the measurements in model tests both at the peak period and amplitude at resonance. It is shown that the sharp resonance in the potential flow theory can be eliminated and the viscous effect can be estimated with a simple method in some provided hydrodynamic models.

In this work the hydrodynamic performance of a novel wave energy converter configuration was analytically and numerically studied by combining a moonpool and a wave energy buoy, called the moonpool platform–wave energy buoy (MP–WEB). A potential flow, semi-analytical approach was adopted to assess the total (incident, diffraction, radiation) wave forces acting on the device, and the wave capture and energy efficiency performance of this configuration was assessed, both in the time and frequency domain. The performance of the two configurations, single float and double float, were analyzed and compared in terms of diffraction force, added mass radiation force, motion, and power in the frequency domain. Using an impulse response function-based (IRF) method, the frequency domain results were converted in the time domain. The same parameters in the time domain were derived and the main results were confirmed. Wave energy conversion efficiency was significantly increased due to the resonance phenomenon inside the moonpool.

Free vibration analyses of lattice sandwich beams with general elastic supports have rarely been discussed in this field’s literature. In this paper, a unified method is proposed to study the free vibration characteristics of lattice sandwich beams under various boundary conditions. The proposed method is to convert the three truss cores of lattice sandwich beams into an equivalent homogeneous layer and introduce two different types of constraint springs to simulate the general elastic support boundary at both ends of lattice sandwich beams. By changing the rigidity of the boundary restraint spring, various boundary conditions can be easily obtained without modifying the solving algorithm and solving process. In order to overcome all the discontinuities or jumps associated with the elastic boundary support conditions, the displacement function of lattice sandwich beams is usually obtained as an improved Fourier cosine series along with four sine terms. On this basis, the unknown series coefficients of the displacement function are treated as the generalized coordinates and solved using the Rayleigh–Ritz method. The correctness of the present method is verified through comparison with existing literature. The calculation results of the present method are highly accurate, indicating that the present method is suitable for analyzing the vibration characteristics of lattice sandwich beams with general elastic supports. In addition, the effects of beam length, panel thickness, core height, radius and truss inclination on the natural frequencies of lattice sandwich beams with arbitrary boundary conditions have been discussed in this paper.

It is rather challenging to collect ocean wave energy at high efficiency because of its ultra-low frequencies and variable amplitudes. Triboelectric Nanogenerator (TENG) technology is more suitable for harvesting low-frequency than electromagnetic power generation technology. In this work, we designed a built-in cylindrical Triboelectric Nanogenerator (C-TENG) installed inside the ocean buoy (BUOY-41). The hydrodynamic properties of the C-TENG are consistent with the ocean buoy, which are calculated by CFD software (Star-CCM+). The Energy Capture Properties of the C-TENG are established by the finite element software (COMSOL). The C-TENG has high power density (30 mW/m²) and can meet the power demand of the ocean buoy (10 mW). The implementation of the present work is of great academic value and practical significance for the development of efficient marine renewable energy conversion technology, enhancement of marine equipment energy replenishment, enrichment of hydrodynamic theories and revealing of the complex mechanisms.