Numerical Analysis of the Impact Parameters on the Dynamic Response of a Submerged Floating Tunnel under Coupling Waves and Flows

Abstract

The Submerged Floating Tunnel (SFT) is a highly promising cross-sea transportation structure. Due to its body being suspended in water, waves and flows are the primary environmental loads it encounters. Existing numerical simulations have been based on potential flow theory, which fails to fully consider shear forces and the nonlinear characteristics of the flow field. To overcome this limitation, the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approach, relying on solving the Navier-Stokes equations, can be employed. In this study, we establish a CFD model for the SFT and analyze the impact mechanisms of wave-flow coupling on its dynamic response, considering parameters such as wave height, flow velocity, wave direction, and flow direction. With increasing wave height, the acceleration, mooring tension, and heave amplitude of the SFT significantly increase, and the nonlinear characteristics of its dynamic response become more pronounced. For example, when wave height, Hi, increases from 0.046 m to 0.138 m, the maximum value of dimensionless heave, δz/Hi, increases from 0.075 to 0.284, nearly quadrupling in magnitude. When waves and flows propagate in the same direction, the heave amplitude of the SFT increases compared to the case with waves acting alone, while sway and roll amplitudes decrease. Under conditions of higher flow velocity, the SFT displaces significantly along the direction of flow and water depth, deviating significantly from its original equilibrium position. At this point, the tunnel primarily experiences periodic forces due to vortex shedding, and the anchor chain on the downstream side remains slack. In scenarios where waves and flows propagate in opposite directions, both the maximum acceleration and mooring tension of the SFT increase significantly. For instance, the onshore tension of the cable, Fon, increases by 36%, while the offshore tension, Foff, increases by 89%.