Experimental investigation of a moored floating system

Floating structures are generally excited by a more or less irregular sea state. Therefore the structure undergoes a nonlinear dynamical behaviour which results from hydrodynamic effects or the kinematic coupling of different components. The motions of these structures have been analysed intensively with numerical techniques which predict a wide range of nonlinear effects. On the other hand, experiments are still important when it comes to verifying these theoretical findings. Investigating such a floating structure experimentally requires a complex setup: A wave generator needs to be driven in an appropriate way to yield waves with the required characteristics at the structure. The structure itself is usually designed similar to a real–world system and it has to allow for a comparison with numerical analyses. Sensors which measure the tracks of the individual components not only have to reach a prescribed precision but also need to ensure that the motion is not perturbed as a result of the measurements. Lastly, unwanted disturbances have to be avoided. For experiments in a wave tank this includes that reflections have to be minimized. This talk addresses the development of an experimental setup for the investigation of a floating structure. It highlights components which are found to be critical for the obtained accuracy and proposes techniques to reduce experimental errors. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)