| Abstract: | The fish cage design requires accurate predictions of long-term extreme loads and responses. Compared with the time-consuming full long-term analysis method integrating all the probability distribution of the short-term extremes,the environmental contour method gains much attention in predicting the long-term extreme values due to the less computational effort. This paper investigates the long-term extreme response of a fish cage using the environmental contour method. The fish cage is numerically simulated based on the lumped-mass method and the curved beam theory. Based on the one-dimensional(1D) and two-dimensional(2D) environmental contour, the extreme responses,including the surge and heave motions, mooring force, and vertical bending of the floater, are predicted for different return periods and compared with the full long-term analysis results. Results indicate that the 1D method greatly underestimates the extreme values. The 2D environmental contour method with a higher percentile level, namely90%, provides reasonable estimations and seems to be suitable for the long-term value analysis. Sensitivity studies show that the mooring arrangement and the bending stiffness have great effects on the bending moment and the mooring force and the mooring line pre-tension has minor effects on the fish cage response. |
