Transducer Qualification for Wave Impact Load Measurements Using Wedge Drop Tests
For the design of offshore structures in harsh wave environments, it is essential to accurately determine the wave impact loads on the structure. To date, robust numerical prediction methods / algorithms for determining wave impact forces on offshore structures do not exist. Model testing continues to be the industry practice for determining wave impact forces on offshore structures. Accurate measurements of wave impact loads in model tests have been challenging for several decades. Transducers require the ability to capture the short duration, dynamic nature and high magnitude of impact loads. In order to qualify transducers for these types of measurements, we need to develop a way to physically impose dynamic impact loads on the transducers and to establish benchmark values that can be used to check the effectiveness of their measurements. In this paper, we present our recent research work on transducer qualification for wave impact load measurements, including their development, numerical analysis and wedge drop model tests. Our findings show that wedge drop tests can be used to impose dynamic impact loads for transducer qualification, and that the Wagner solution and / or validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations that include the effects of viscosity, compressibility and hydroelasticity can provide the appropriate benchmarking values. Numerical simulation results, model test measurements and findings on transducer qualification are presented and discussed in the paper.