Developing a Computational Model for a Mooring System

CREVELING 35

In oceanography, physicists takes measurements in the sea by attaching waterproof instruments to large mooring cables inside the ocean. A mooring system is made up of any type of cable or rope that connects a floating buoy to an anchor fixed on the sea floor. It is very important to make sure that the anchor stays fixed so the mooring does not float away. Assuming that the main forces on cable are the drag, tension, buoyancy, and gravity, we need to find what the weight of the anchor is needed to withstand those forces. To find these properties, I used computational programming with python to simulate the forces in the ocean for models of moorings with different materials to find what the weight of the anchor is needed. Due to the nonlinear nature of the ocean, an actual mathematical solution for the whole mooring cable would be extremely complex. So instead, the program uses an iterative method to find a series of linear solution for each piece of the mooring line by breaking the cable into tiny pieces. To test the model, I ran the simulation for a steel mooring chain. The results were successful. The program showed a floating chain when the anchor was not heavy enough, and the model showed a chain with one end lying on the sea floor for an anchor with enough weight.