Suchergebnisse

Increasing Navy Fleet size requires an increase and diversity of maritime facilities. By 2035, around half of the world's submarines will be operating in the IndoPacifc region (Defence 2016). Submarines offer a unique defence capability and play an essential role in supporting Australia's maritime security. When berthed, submarines sit lower in the water than other large military vessels and experience more excessive motions in operational wave conditions. As such, shore connected floating pontoons are an important option for developing and operating submarine facilities and are particularly appropriate for both the docking and loading of submarines. The safety of Navy personnel during loading of munitions and general operational tasks require that safe working limits be placed on the motions of these piled floating pontoons. At present, there are no standards assigning suitable limits of motion for floating pontoons in order to maintain the safety/comfort of users undertaking operational activities. This research proposes a set of operational safe motion limits in the form of accelerations to ensure the comfort and safety of floating pontoon users. Experimental work has been undertaken and data collected on the motions of a piled floating pontoon subjected to regular waves, representative of a harbour environment. Pontoon widths, drafts and skirts have been examined under varying wave conditions. The research has found that in many circumstances, the pontoon motions exceed proposed safe working limits and that the application of different pontoon design features can be used to reduce the accelerations of motion to within operational safe motion limits.