COMPUTERS AND STRUCTURES, INC.

, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA JANUARY 2003

AUTOMATIC WAVE LOADS

SAP2000

Technical Note

Wave Load Overview

This Technical Note presents a brief overview of the automatic wave loading features in the program. The automatic wave load calculations in the program are based on the requirements presented in the American Petroleum Institute 2000 reference (API 2000).

Define Wave Loads

The automatic wave load is a special type of load case. It generates loads on the structure resulting from waves, current flow, buoyancy and wind. The automatic wave load is defined using the Define menu > Load Cases command to open the Define Loads form. In the form the load type is set to Wave and the Auto Lateral Load is set to something other than None. After this load has been added to the list, the Modify Lateral Load button is used to define the wave loading parameters. A wave load can be specified to act in any direction. For a given wave direction, any number of crest positions can be considered in a single load case. Wave velocity and acceleration fields can be automatically generated using Airy (linear), Stokes or Cnoidal wave theories or, alternatively, they can be directly input by the user. When using wave theories, the user specifies a wave height, wave period (as seen by a stationary observer) and a storm water depth. Current velocity and direction, marine growth, drag coefficients and inertia (mass) coefficients can all be specified as a function of water depth. The current direction can differ from the wave direction. Wind load, acting in any direction, can also be specified as a part of the wave load. The wind load acts on the portion of the structure that is above the wave surface.

Define Wave Loads

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Automatic Wave Loads

Wave Load Overview

Several wave loading parameters can be overwritten on an object-by-object basis. The wave parameters are overwritten by selecting the desired objects and clicking the Assign menu > Frame Loads > Auto Wave Loading Parameters command. Refer to the Technical Note entitled Defining Wave Loads for more detailed information.

Calculate Wave Load Values

The wave velocity and acceleration fields are user-defined or they are calculated from the storm water depth, wave height and apparent wave period using Airy (linear), Stokes, or Cnoidal wave theory. The Airy and Cnoidal theories are documented in Hallam, Heaf and Wootton 1978. The Stokes theory is documented in Skjelbreia and Hendrickson 1961. If the wave load is calculated from theory, the apparent wave period used in the calculation is determined from the actual wave period and the free-stream current velocity (not reduced by blockage) in the direction of the wave. The horizontal components of the wave velocity and acceleration fields are multiplied by a wave kinematics factor that is intended to account for direction spreading and irregularity of the wave profile. Current velocity multiplied times the current blockage factor is vectorially combined with the wave velocity field that has been adjusted by the wave kinematics factor. The wave force acting on the member is calculated using Morisons equation. The size of a member (area and volume) used to calculate the wave load force is based on the section assignment, the specified marine growth and any overwrite of the section dimension or marine growth. The wave loads are applied as distributed loads on the portion of the structure that is below the wave surface and above the mud line. Buoyant forces are calculated using a rational method. They consist of projected vertical upward distributed loads acting along all members that are not vertical and concentrated forces at each end of each frame object that is submerged.

Calculate Wave Load Values

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Automatic Wave Loads

Wave Load Overview

The wave wind load acting on a member is calculated using a specified onehour mean wind speed, a shape coefficient (which can be overwritten), the mass density of air, and the member area. The member area used to calculate the wave wind force is based on the section assignment, the specified marine growth and any overwrite of the section dimension, marine growth or ice thickness. If both marine growth and ice thickness are specified at a location, only the ice thickness is considered. The wave wind loads are applied as distributed loads on the portion of the structure that is above the wave surface. Refer to Technical Note entitled Calculation of Wave Load Values for more detailed information.

View Wave Load Input Data

Numerous tools are provided to review wave load input data.

Wave Plot
While defining the wave load parameters you can display a wave plot using the current parameters. This plot displays the wave particle velocities, accelerations and pressures in many different formats. Contour plots and horizontal and vertical section cut plots through the wave can be displayed. Wave particle velocities, accelerations and pressures can be shown at the mouse pointer location. Refer to Technical Note entitled Wave Display Plots and Tables for more detailed information.

Wave Table
While defining the wave load parameters you can display a wave table using the current parameters. This table displays the wave particle velocities, accelerations and pressures at points throughout the wave. The data shown in this table is also available in the model definition tables discussed later in this Technical Note. If you want to copy or print the data in this table, do so from the model definition tables. Refer to Technical Note entitled Wave Display Plots and Tables for more detailed information.

On Screen Display of Wave Loads

After the wave load has been defined using the Define menu > Load Cases command, the resulting generated loads applied to the model can be displayed on the screen. Click the Display menu > Show Load Assigns > Frame command to bring up the Show Frame Loads form. Select a load case

View Wave Load Input Data

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Automatic Wave Loads

Wave Load Overview

that has an automatic wave load assigned to it and select the Span Wave Loads load type option. When the wave loads are displayed on the screen, left and right arrow buttons appear on the right side of the status bar. Click those arrow buttons to step through the wave crest positions of the wave load. A Start Animation button on the right-hand side of the status bar causes the program to automatically step through the different wave crest positions. The speed of the animation is controlled by the slide bar to the left of the Start Animation button. The wave load forces displayed in this plot are only those automatically generated by the program. Any additional loads that the user may have assigned to the same load case are not included in this plot. Typically we do not recommend that you assign other loads to a load case that includes automatically generated loads.

Create Videos of Wave Loads

After the wave load has been defined using the Define menu > Load Cases command, you can create a video of the resulting generated loads applied to the model. Click the File menu > Create Video > Create Multi-Step Animation Video command to bring up the Multi-Step Video File Creation form. Select the Multi-Step Load plot type, select a wave load case, set the other video parameters as desired and click the OK button to create the video AVI file.

Wave Load Data in Model Definition Tables

Wave load data in the model definition tables can be displayed, printed, interactively edited, exported and imported. Any of the following commands give you access to the model definition tables. File menu > Print Tables > Model Definition Display menu > Show Model Definition Tables Display menu > Show All Table Types Edit menu > Interactive Database Editing File menu > Export > SAP2000 MS Access Database .mdb File File menu > Export > SAP2000 MS Excel Spreadsheet .xls File File menu > Export > SAP2000 V8 .s2k Text File File menu > Export > SAP2000 MS Access Database .mdb File

View Wave Load Input Data

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Automatic Wave Loads

Wave Load Overview

File menu > Export > SAP2000 MS Excel Spreadsheet .xls File File menu > Import > SAP2000 V8 .s2k Text File Each of those commands, except the import commands, brings up a form where you can select the tables to be displayed. The forms have different titles for the various commands but otherwise look essentially the same. You can select check boxes to indicate the tables you want printed, displayed or exported. The check boxes that relate to wave loading are the Auto Wave Loads check box in the Loads area of the form (on the Definitions tab) and the Wave Overwrites check box in the Frame/Cable Assigns area of the form (on the Assignments tab).

Analyze using Wave Loads

When a load case containing an automatic wave load is specified in an analysis case, the characteristics of the load depend on the type of analysis case.

Multi-Step Static Analysis Case

For multi-step static analysis cases, each step (wave crest position) of the wave load corresponds to a step in the multi-step static analysis case.

Time History Analysis Case

For modal and direct time history cases, the wave load is applied as a sequential series of overlapping triangular pulse loads. Each pulse load corresponds to a step (wave crest position) of the wave load. The duration of each half-pulse load is equal to the apparent wave period (as seen by an observer moving with the current, if any) divided by the number of wave crest positions specified for the wave load. The maximum value of pulse load n is equal to the full wave load value calculated for step n (wave crest position n). Pulse load n starts from zero at the time pulse load n-1 is at a maximum and returns to zero at a time that pulse load n+1 is at a maximum. The figure to the right shows pulses associated with steps n-1, n and n+1.

Step n-1

Step n

Step n+1

For time history analysis cases with wave loads, the function specified for the analysis case is ignored by the program.

Analyze using Wave Loads

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Automatic Wave Loads

Wave Load Overview

Ritz-Type Modal Analysis Case

If a wave load is specified as a load for a ritz-type modal analysis case, loads (starting vectors) are created for each step (crest position) of the wave load.

Other Analysis Cases

For analysis cases that are not modal (ritz), multi-step static or time history analysis cases, only the first step (wave crest position) of the wave load is considered, even if multiple steps are specified.

Viewing Wave Load Analysis Output Data

Wave load analysis output is viewed in the same ways as all other analysis output in the program.

References
American Petroleum Institute (API). 2000. Recommended Practice for Planning, Designing, and Constructing Fixed Offshore Platforms Working Stress Design; API Recommended Practice 2A-WSD (RP 2A-WSD). Twenty-First Edition. December. Hallam M.G., N.J. Heaf, and L.R. Wootton. 1978. Dynamics of Marine Structures: Methods of calculating the dynamic response of fixed structures subject to wave and current action, Report UR 8, Second Edition. CIRIA Underwater Engineering Group. London. October. Skjelbreia, L., and J. Hendrickson. 1961. Fifth Order Gravity Wave Theory. Seventh Conference on Coastal Engineering. ASCE Vol. 1, Chapter 10.

References

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