• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2013

This paper calculates the mating dynamic forces of a semi-submersible offshore structure's topside module, where a hull moored in the sea is combined with a topside module carried by a heavy lift vessel, as a mating installation method. The environmental conditions include various wave directions and wave heights, with constant wind and current speeds. Appropriate ballast and de-ballast plans for the heavy lift vessel and hull of the semi-rig should be performed in order to safely obtain these forces, whereas a fixed platform or the GBS (Gravity based structure) type of offshore structure only needs a ballast plan for the heavy lift vessel. From this paper, the allowable wave height or wave direction for the mating procedure can be investigated based on the standard DAF (Dynamic amplitude factor) of the rules and regulations.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.290-296
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• 2020

When two layers of carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays are loaded to mate, the free ends of individual CNTs come into contact at the interface of the two layers. This leads to a higher contact resistance due to a smaller contact region. However, when the free CNT ends of one array penetrate into the mating array, the contact region increases, effectively lowering the contact resistance. To explore the penetration of mating CNTs, we perform molecular dynamic simulations of a simple unit cell model, incorporating four CNTs in the lower array layer coupled with a single moving CNT on the upper layer. The interaction with neighboring CNTs is modelled by long-range carbon bond order potential (LCBOP I). The model structure is optimized by energy minimization through the conjugate gradient method. A NVT ensemble is used for maintain a room temperature during simulation. The time integration is performed through the velocity-Verlet algorithm. A significant vibrational motion of CNTs is captured when penetration is not available, resulting in a specific vibration mode with a high frequency. Due to this vibrational behavior, the random behaviors of CNT motion for predicting the penetration are confirmed under the specific gap distances between CNTs. Thus, the probability of penetration is examined according to the gap distance between CNTs in the lower array and the aspect ratio of CNTs. The penetration is significantly affected by the vibration mode due to the van der Waals forces between CNTs.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.7-11
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• 2011

The installation phase for a topside module suggested can be divided into 9 stages, which include start, pre-lifting, lifting, lifted, rotating, positioning, lowering, mating, and end of installation. The transfer of the topside module from a transport barge to a crane vessel takes place in the first three stages, from start to lifting, while the transfer of the module onto a floating spar hull occurs in the last three stages, from lowering to the end. The coupled multi-body motions are calculated in both calm water and in irregular waves with significant wave height (1.52m), with suggested force equilibrium diagrams. The effects of the hydrodynamic interactions between the crane vessel and barge during the lifting stage have been considered. The internal forces caused by the load transfer and ballasting are derived for the lifting phases. The results of these internal forces for the calm water condition are compared with those in the irregular sea condition. Although the effect of pitch motion on the relative vertical motion between the deck of the floating structure and the topside module is significant in the lifting phases, the internal force induced pitch motion is too small to show its influence. However, the effect of the internal force on the wave-induced heave responses in the lifting phases is noticeable in the irregular sea condition because the transfer mass-induced draught changes in the floating structure are observed to have higher amplitudes than the external force induced responses.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.378-385
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• 2008

In foil bearings, the friction between bumps and their mating surfaces is the major factor which exerts great influence on the bearing performance. From this point of view, many efforts have been made to improve the understanding of the influence of the friction on the foil bearing performance by developing a number of analytical models. However, most of them did not consider the hysteretic behavior of the foil structure resulting from the friction. The present work developed the static structural model in which hysteretic behavior of the friction was considered. The foil structure was modeled using finite element method and the algorithm which determines the conditions of the contact nodes and the directions of the friction forces was used to take into account the friction. The developed model was integrated into the foil bearing prediction code to investigate the effects of the friction on the static performance of the bearing. The results of analysis show that multiple static equilibrium positions are presented for the one static load under the influence of the friction, inferring its great effects on the dynamic performance. However, the effect of friction on the minimum film thickness which determines load capacity of the bearing is negligible.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.916-922
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• 2001

A mechanical face seal is a tribo-element intended to control leakage of working fluid at the interface between a rotating shaft and its housing. Leakage of working fluid decreases drastically as the clearance of the mating seal faces gets smaller. But the very small seal clearance results in an increased reduction of seal life because of high wear and heat generation. Therefore, in the design of mechanical face seals a compromise between low leakage and acceptable seal life is important, and it presents a difficult and practical design problem. A fluid film or sealing dam geometry of the seal clearance affects seal lubrication performance very much, and thereby it is one of the main design considerations. In this study the Reynolds equation for the sealing dam of mechanical face seals is numerically analyzed, using the Galerkin finite element method, which is readily applied to various seal geometries. Film pressures of the sealing dam are analyzed, including the effects of the seal face coning and tilt. Then, lubrication performances of the seals, such as opening forces, restoring moments, leakage, and dynamic coefficients, are calculated, and they are compared to the results obtained by the narrow seal approximation.