The propeller cavitation not only affects the propulsive efficiency of a ship but also can cause vibration and noise. Accurate predictions of propeller cavitation are crucial at the design stage. This paper investigates the feasibility of the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) method in predicting propeller cavitation in behind-hull conditions, focusing on four aspects: (i) grid sensitivity; (ii) the time step effect; (iii) the turbulence model effect; and (iv) ability to rank two slightly different propellers. The Schnerr-Sauer model is adopted as the cavitation model. A model test is conducted to validate the numerical results. Good agreement on the cavitation pattern is obtained between the model test and computational fluid dynamics. Two propellers are computed, which have similar geometry but slightly different pitch ratios. The results show that RANS is capable of correctly differentiating the cavitation patterns between the two propellers in terms of the occurrence of face cavitation and the extent of sheet cavitation; moreover, time step size is found to slightly affect sheet cavitation and has a significant impact on the survival of the tip vortex cavitation. It is also observed that grid refinement is crucial for capturing tip vortex cavitation and the two-equation turbulence models used – realizable k-ε and shear stress transport (SST) k-ω – yield similar cavitation results.

With the increase of water depth, the design and use of the top-tensioned risers (TTR) are facing more and more challenges. This research presents the effect of top tension on dynamic behavior of deep-sea risers by means of numerical simulations and experiments. First, the governing equation of vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of TTR based on Euler-Bernoulli theory and Van der Pol wake-oscillator model was established, and the effect of top tension on natural vibration of TTR was discussed. Then, the dynamic response of TTR in shear current was calculated numerically by finite difference method. The displacement, bending stress and vibration frequency of TTR with the variation of top tension were investigated. Finally, a VIV experiment of a 5 m long flexible top-tensioned model was carried out at the towing tank of Tianjin University. The results show that the vibration displacement of TTR increases and the bending stress decreases as the top tension increases. The dominant frequency of VIV of TTR is controlled by the current velocity and is barely influenced by the top tension. With the increase of top tension, the natural frequency of TTR increases, the lower order modes are excited in the same current.

Paris' law is a commonly used formula in the assessment of fatigue life of structures. In the present study, we sought to improve the accuracy of this law in marine engineering using a probability model to experimentally assess fatigue life. First, a...

The prediction and control of vortex‐induced vibration (VIV) is one of the key problems for riser design. The effect of platform heave motion on VIV of deep sea top‐tensioned riser (TTR) is presented by means of numerical simulation and experiment in this research. First, the heave motion was modeled as a parametric excitation, and the governing equation of VIV of riser considering the parametric excitation was established. Then, the dynamic response of TTR was calculated numerically by the finite difference method based on the Van der Pol wake‐oscillator model. Finally, a validation experiment was carried out at the towing tank of Tianjin university. The results show that the VIV response at the bottom of riser is significantly increased due to the platform heave motion, especially in the situation of low current velocity. The larger amplitude and the higher frequency of the platform heave motion with the greater influence are generated on VIV of TTR. In particular, the value of 0.5 times, 1 time, or other multiples of the platform heave frequency will be included in the vibration frequency component of TTR when the platform heave amplitude is large and the frequency is high.