In the realm of ocean engineering and maintenance of subsea structures, accurate underwater distance quantification plays a crucial role. However, the precision of such measurements is often compromised in underwater environments due to backward scattering and feature degradation, adversely affecting the accuracy of visual techniques. Addressing this challenge, our study introduces a groundbreaking method for underwater object measurement, innovatively combining image sonar with stereo vision. This approach aims to supplement the gaps in underwater visual feature detection with sonar data while leveraging the distance information from sonar for enhanced visual matching. Our methodology seamlessly integrates sonar data into the Semi-Global Block Matching (SGBM) algorithm used in stereo vision. This integration involves introducing a novel sonar-based cost term and refining the cost aggregation process, thereby both elevating the precision in depth estimations and enriching the texture details within the depth maps. This represents a substantial enhancement over existing methodologies, particularly in the texture augmentation of depth maps tailored for subaquatic environments. Through extensive comparative analyses, our approach demonstrates a substantial reduction in measurement errors by 1.6%, showing significant promise in challenging underwater scenarios. The adaptability and accuracy of our algorithm in generating detailed depth maps make it particularly relevant for underwater infrastructure maintenance, exploration, and inspection.

Ice-breaking methods have become increasingly significant with the ongoing development of the polar regions. Among many ice-breaking methods, ice-breaking that utilizes a moving load is unique compared with the common collision or impact methods. A moving load can generate flexural-gravity waves (FGWs), under the influence of which the ice sheet undergoes deformation and may even experience structural damage. Moving loads can be divided into above-ice loads and underwater loads. For the above-ice loads, we discuss the characteristics of the FGWs generated by a moving load acting on a complete ice sheet, an ice sheet with a crack, and an ice sheet with a lead of open water. For underwater loads, we discuss the influence on the ice-breaking characteristics of FGWs of the mode of motion, the geometrical features, and the trajectory of motion of the load. In addition to discussing the status of current research and the technical challenges of ice-breaking by moving loads, this paper also looks ahead to future research prospects and presents some preliminary ideas for consideration.

In order to enhance the authenticity and accuracy simulation of passengers’ evacuation in ships, a new multi-grid model is proposed on the basis of cellular automata theory. By finer lattice the multi-grid model could enhance the continuity of passengers’ track and the precision of boundary’s qualification compared with traditional cellular automata model. Attraction, repulsion and friction are also quantized in the multi-grid model to present the impact of interaction force among pedestrians. Furthermore, crowd’s evacuation simulated by traditional cellular automata and multi-grid model in single exit room and typical cabin environment have been taken as examples to analyze crowd’s motion laws. It is found that the laws of passengers’ evacuation simulated by the two models are similar, and the simulation authenticity and accuracy is enhanced by the multi-grid model.

Accuracy estimation of wave loading on cylinders in a pile group under different impact scenarios is essential for both the structural safety and cost of coastal and offshore structures. Differing from the interaction of waves with a single cylinder, less attention has been paid to pile groups under different arrangements. Numerical simulations of interactions between plunging breaking waves and pile group in finite water depth are performed using the two-phase flow model in REEF3D, an open-source computational fluid dynamics program to investigate the wave loads and flow kinematics characteristics. The Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equation with the two equation k − ω turbulence model is adopted to resolve the numerical wave tank. The model is validated by comparing the numerical wave forces and free surface elevation with measurements from experiments. The computational results show fairly good agreement with experimental data. Four cases are simulated with different relative distances, numbers of cylinders, and arrangements. Results show that the wave forces on cylinders in the pile group are effected by the relative distance between cylinders. The staggered arrangement has a significant influence on the wave forces on the first and second cylinder. The interaction inside a pile group mostly happens between the neighboring cylinders. These interactions are also effected by the relative distance and the numbers of the neighboring cylinders.

The vertical ice breaking of marine structures in ice-covered areas involves the deformation and failure of an ice sheet. Different from the existing conventional scenarios where the ice sheet is used as a transportation and support medium, the damage to the ice sheet will be more severe when a structure penetrates the ice sheet from below, due to the lack of elastic support from the fluid above the ice sheet. In order to investigate the failure mode of the ice sheet and the ice load characteristics during vertical penetration, a mesh-free bond-based peridynamic method is used in this paper to simulate the mechanical behaviors of the ice sheet. The cracks simulated in this study exhibit a higher level of similarity to experimental results, which improves the accuracy of the ice load. The numerical model established shows satisfactory applicability for the analysis of penetration failure of an ice sheet. In addition, the influence of ice thickness, impact velocity, and cylinder diameter on the failure characteristics of the ice sheet and breakthrough load are analyzed. The results of a parametric study indicate that the relationship between ice thickness and breakthrough load, as well as the relationship between load area and breakthrough pressure, can both be fitted using quadratic functions.