miscellaneous calculations

1.3

by chyetanya kunte

Forces during tow

Forces during tow transportation consist of the following:

Self weight of the cargo (structure, equipment,
piles, etc).

Abstract

Any non-modeled pre-installed item loads.

This document serves as a technical commentary

and user manual (where applicable) for calculation
scripts in this repository.

Equipment dry weights.

Inertia forces.

sea transport forces on cargo

Sea transportation induces inertial forces on the cargo

due to barges motion characteristics, draft, and Metocean design conditions. This guideline and the associated script aid in determining these sea-transport forces
using simple calculationswithout having to rely on sophisticated and often expensive software, such that [a]
the cargo and its structural framing can be designed to
withstand them, and / or [b] if economics favor it, choose
a barge with benign motion characteristics, which usually
means a larger barge.

Due to logistics, quality control and prohibitive costs, oshore structures (viz., jackets, topsides, modules, piles)
and even vendor equipment are typically fabricated onshore, and then typically towed on a cargo barge to their
intended service locations, usually oshore. The cargo is
typically transported on an unpropelled (dummy) barge,
usually towed by pairs of tug boats. Transportation and
arising stresses out of it therefore become important aspects in ensuring pre-service compliance for an oshore
structure or the equipment transported.
1.1

1.4

Barge motion characteristics are usually determined by

a barge motion analysis, taking the tow route in to account. In the absence of such a detailed analysis, GL Noble Denton recommends default motion criteria, which
correspond to the nature of transportation and barge dimensions. Since such a generic criteria does not explicitly
illustrate Metocean characteristics (viz., wave steepness,
signicant wave height and period, et al.) considered in
either deriving or implicitly, these may be deemed somewhat conservative.

Importance of tow analysis

To assess and design the structure for transport
stresses.

For unrestricted (open sea) transportation, the following (commonly used) characteristics have been extracted
and reproduced below from GL Noble Dentons Guidelines for Marine Transportations.

To provide additional temporary members (seafastenings) for support during transport.

case
1
2
4
where,

To strengthen structure to suit transport analysis,

orient member spanning to be benecial and economical during transport.
1.2

Barge motion characteristics

Factors aecting tow

loa, b
> 140m and >30m
> 76m and > 23m
76m or 23m

t
10s
10s
10s

20
20
25

10
12.5
15

h
0.2g
0.2g
0.2g

loa Barge length overall (m).

b Barge width (m).
t Full cycle period (in seconds).
Roll single amplitude angular acceleration (typically given in degrees).
Pitch single amplitude angular acceleration (typically given in degrees).
h Heave single amplitude of linear acceleration (typically given in terms of g, or in meters). To convert a heave
of 0.2g in to meters, for example, it can be calculated as
h = 0.2g ( T2h )2 (m).
g Acceleration due to gravity, typically 9.81m/s2.

Sea-state.
Barge size (larger bargemore stable, lower
stresses; smaller bargehigher stresses).
Weight of the cargo (structure, equipment, piles,
etc).
Overall COG (center of gravity) of the structure.
Overall COR (center of rotation) of the transport
barge.
1

The other angular acceleration parameter is Yaw; and

other linear acceleration parameters are Surge, Sway. To
note, a heave of 0.2g corresponds to an approximate value
of 5m.

Further, Surge and Sway can both be calculated by

( T )2
multiplying with the term, 2
to obtain them in meters.

1.6

Transport forces on cargo

In the following, W is the design weight of the cargo. Lx,

Ly, and Lz are lever-arm distances between center of gravity (cog) of the cargo and barge center of rotation (cor).

1.6.1

1.5

Roll and Heave

Accelerations

1.5.1

Roll

r = (

2 2
)
Tr

(1)

The roll angle, , is taken in radians in the equation

above. Correspondingly, r is in rad
s2 .
1.5.2

Pitch

p = (

2 2
)
Tp

Vertical force from roll:

(2)

(
)
Ly
Fvr = W cos + r
g

The pitch angle, , is taken in radians in the equation

above. Correspondingly, p is in rad
s2 .
1.5.3

Heave

Vertical force from heave corresponding to roll:

gh = (

2 2
) h
Th

(3)

In the equation above, h is in meters, and corresponding

gh is in sm2 .
1.5.4

(6)

Fvhr =

Surge and Sway single amplitudes each can be calculated

using Pitch and Roll parameters respectively, and therefore, they are often not furnished.

gh cos

)
(
Lz
Fhr = W sin + r
g

Surge (in terms of g) can be calculated as follows:

(7)

(8)

Horizontal force from heave corresponding to roll:

(4)

and Sway (in terms of g) can be calculated as follows:

Sway = 1.0 g sin

Horizontal force from roll:

Surge and Sway

Surge = 1.0 g sin

W
g

(
Fhhr =

(5)
2

W
g

)
gh sin

(9)

1.6.2

Pitch and Heave

1.7.1

V erticalf orce = Fvr Fvhr

(16)

Horizontalf orce = Fhr Fhhr

(17)

Generating inertia forces using sacs

There are at least two ways of generating inertia forces

from barge motions in sacs software, as illustrated below:
Using motion cards:
* AS PER NOBLE DENTON CRITERIA
* PITCH ANGLE = 12.5d; PERIOD = 10s; SURGE = SIN(12.5) = 0.216
* ROLL ANGLE
TOWOPT

= 20d

; PERIOD = 10s; SWAY

MNECLD

WP

= SIN(20)

= 0.34

-12.389 0.000 -8.500 XYZ

POSITION
* HEAD SEA CONDITION (100% PITCH AND 100% HEAVE)

Vertical force from pitch:

Fvp

(
)
Lx
= W cos + p
g

(10)

Vertical force from heave corresponding to pitch:

(
Fvhp =

W
g

(11)

Horizontal force from pitch:

Fhp

1.7

W
g

+.216

+0.2

-12.5 10.

-.216

+0.2

MOTION

23

+12.5 10.

+.216

-0.2

MOTION

24

-12.5 10.

-.216

-0.2

MOTION

25 +20.

10.

+0.34 +0.2

MOTION

26 -20.

10.

-0.34 +0.2

MOTION

27 +20.

10.

+0.34 -0.2

MOTION

28 -20.

10.

-0.34 -0.2

* 100% HEAVE)

(12)

Horizontal force from heave corresponding to pitch:

Fhhp =

+12.5 10.

22

* SIMULATING QUARTERING SEAS (50% ROLL, 50% PITCH AND

)
(
Lz
= W sin + p
g
(

21

MOTION

* BEAM SEA CONDITION (100% ROLL AND 100% HEAVE)

)
gh cos

MOTION

)
gh sin

(13)

Load combinations

MOTION

29 +10.

10.+6.25

10.

+.108+.17

+0.2

MOTION

30 -10.

10.+6.25

10.

+.108-.17

+0.2

MOTION

31 -10.

10.-6.25

10.

-.108-.17

+0.2

MOTION

32 -10.

10.-6.25

10.

-.108-.17

-0.2

MOTION

33 -10.

10.+6.25

10.

+.108-.17

-0.2

MOTION

34 +10.

10.+6.25

10.

+.108+.17

-0.2

MOTION

35 +10.

10.-6.25

10.

-.108+.17

-0.2

MOTION

36 +10.

10.-6.25

10.

-.108+.17

+0.2

END

Phasing is assumed to combine, as separate load cases, the

most severe combinations of the following:

This above method, not only generated inertia forces, but

also combines them as per instructions in the input.

Simulating Beam seas: 100% Roll 100% Heave

Using acceleration cards:

Simulating Head seas: 100% Pitch 100% Heave

* AS PER NOBLE DENTON CRITERIA

Simulating Quartering seas: 50% Pitch + 50% Roll

100% Heave

* PITCH ANGLE = 12.5d; PERIOD = 10s; SURGE = SIN(12.5)= 0.216

* ROLL ANGLE
TOWOPT

In addition, eective horizontal shear force due to barge

inclinations, corresponding to the max. pitch/roll angle,
may be included in the cases above. Typically, wind forces
is not considered in the above combinations.

LCFAC

pitch and Heave:

V erticalf orce = Fvp Fvhp

(14)

= 20d

; PERIOD = 10s; SWAY

MN

CG
1.10

-12.389

= SIN(20)

= 0.34

-8.500 XYZ

ACCL

0.00

0.00

0.00

1.00

0.00

0.00

ACCL

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

1.00

0.00

ACCL

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

1.00

ACCL

1.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

ACCL

0.00

1.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

ACCL

0.00

0.00

1.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

END

Horizontalf orce = Fhp Fhhp

(15)

roll and Heave:

3

The accelerations thus generated need to be further suitably factored and combined with the weight of the cargo
to get total inertia loads.

1.7.2

Generating inertia forces by hand

Transport forces in terms of W and L for commonly used GL Noble Denton motion criteria:
case
1
1
2
2
4
4

Description
roll heave
pitch heave
roll heave
pitch heave
roll heave
pitch heave

Vertical force
W ( 0.9397 + 0.1378 Ly
g 0.1891 )
W ( 0.9848 + 0.0689 Lx
g 0.1982 )
W ( 0.9397 + 0.1378 Ly
g 0.1891 )
Lx
W ( 0.9763 + 0.0861 g 0.1964 )
W ( 0.9063 + 0.1723 Ly
g 0.1824 )
Lx
W ( 0.9659 + 0.1034 g 0.1944 )

Horizontal force
W ( 0.3420 + 0.1378 Lz
g 0.0688 )
Lz
W ( 0.1736 + 0.0689 g 0.0349 )
W ( 0.3420 + 0.1378 Lz
g 0.0688 )
Lz
W ( 0.2164 + 0.0861 g 0.0436 )
W ( 0.4226 + 0.1723 Lz
g 0.0850 )
Lz
W ( 0.2588 + 0.1034 g 0.0521 )

Last updated: August 24, 2012. Type set in XTEX.