EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF HYDRODYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF TWIN CIRCULAR SUBMERGED FLOATING TUNNEL

Abstract

A submerged floating tunnel (SFT) is a unique marine structure that has not been actually constructed till date. An assessment of the hydrodynamic performance of an SFT under wave loading is important when designing an SFT structure. In this study, experiments were conducted in a two-dimensional wave flume to investigate the hydrodynamic characteristics of a twin circular SFT model under the action of regular waves having different heights and periods. Three different configurations of the twin SFT model were tested in the experiment. The experimental results showed that the three-degree motions of the twin SFT and the associated tensile forces acting on the tension legs vary considerably according to the change in the configurations of the model. All the configurations considered in this study were found to be inadequate in satisfactorily restricting the horizontal and vertical motions of the SFT model.s study, experiments were conducted in a two-dimensional wave flume to investigate the hydrodynamic characteristics of a twin circular SFT model under the action of regular waves having different heights and periods. Three different configurations of the twin SFT model were tested in the experiment. The experimental results showed that the three-degree motions of the twin SFT and the associated tensile forces acting on the tension legs vary considerably according to the change in the configurations of the model. All the configurations considered in this study were found to be inadequate in satisfactorily restricting the horizontal and vertical motions of the SFT model.