Characterizing the Load Environment of

Washington State Ferries & Alaska Marine

Highway Ferry Landings

Andrew T. Metzger, Ph.D., P.E.

Jonathan Hutchinson, E.I.T.

December, 2010
GoTo Meeting
 Scope
• Project overview
– Assess design criteria for vessel loads on Ferry
Dolphins (AKDOT&PF) and Wingwalls (WashDOT)
• Long-term in situ monitoring of active ferry landings
• Collect a sample of structure response to vessel loading
• Determine design load criteria based on sample
statistics
 Auke Bay Study
• Auke Bay Study - dolphins
 Auke Bay Study
• Study of loads from vessels
– Model fender pile with available geotechnical
information
– Measure compression of side-loaded cylinders
– Axial strain in tripod piles
– Measurements collected at 5Hz
– Identify maximum load for event
– Collect sample over approx. 1 year of operation
 Auke Bay Study
• Study of vessel berthing energy
– Distance measurements at 5 Hz during vessel
approach and impact
– Estimate impact velocity from distance
measurements
– Energy is estimated with displacement
measurements and SAP model
– Statistics for
• Vessel impact velocity
• Impact energy
• Mass + added Mass at impact
 Auke Bay Study
• Study of mooring line loads
– Bollards at E2, E4 and W2 were instrumented
– Tie-up configuration in field was different than
anticipated
– Had to modify in field
– Data is being collected for each tie-up
 Dolphins monitored:

• 70 complete berthing events have been collected for Five different vessels.
• Monitoring will continue into July, 2011
• W2 and E4 monitor Mooring Loads
• E1 and E3 monitor Berthing loads
• E2 monitors both Berthing and Mooring loads
Typical Instrumentation

Motion sensors
set up at E1 and
E2
Motion Sensors on E1 and E2
• Two motion sensors located 10’ from
dolphins E1 and E2

• Used to measure approach of

berthing vessels at E1 and E2
LMT’s (linear motion transducers)
• One LMT located adjacent to each
cylindrical fender
Tide Gage: at E1
• Monitors tide

• Used to estimate elevation of

ship sponson.

• i.e., point of application of load

 Strain Gages on Piling
Gages placed on dolphins:
E1, E2, and E3

Oriented to measure
Axial Strain in piling

Axial force is calculated real-time

and stored in datalogger
 Mooring Instrumentation:
• Original method: determine mooring forces by
measuring bending stresses in bollards.

Assumption that the primary

stress in the bollards, from
mooring loads, are bending
stresses.
Mooring study changes:
• Location of mooring lines along the bollards
vary with tide level and vessel.
• Shear stress dominates.
• Bollards are instrumented for shear stress
instead of bending stress.
 Data
• Data has been collected for 70 berthing events

• Datalogger takes measurements continuously

between events

• Begins to store data when vessel is with ~ 20

of E1 motion sensor
 Data
• For each event:
– Data collection for 10 minutes (3,000 records)
– Each day, data is downloaded from Juneau to
Fairbanks via digital cellular modem

• For each event:

– Data collection for 10 minutes (3,000 records)
– Each day, data is downloaded from Juneau to
Fairbanks via digital cellular modem
 Data
• Examples of raw data
Vessel Approach Profile: E1

Typical Malaspina
position vs time
Graph for E1

Used to determine
approach velocity
Normal to dock for
each per berthing
event.
Bollard Data for E2

Shows the mooring line

effect on the force in
the Piles
 Time history for:
Malaspina, August 23, 2010
on Dolphin E1
Pile Force

Vessel Motion

LMT
Extreme Event:
Time history for:
Malaspina, August 24, 2010
on Dolphin E1

Pile Force

Vessel Motion
LMT
 Time History Pile Data: E2

Pile Reaction (Kips)

from Impact
and Springline
 Time History Pile Data: E2

Pile Reaction (Kips)

from Impact
 Berthing Energy
• Impact Energy is needed for design vessel
berthing structures
• Cannot measure energy directly
• Can be inferred from structure response:
mv 2 kx 2
=
E =
2 2
 Berthing Energy
• We are directly measuring
– Velocity, v
– Fender displacement

• Using a structural analysis software (SAP) +

available geotechnical information
– Related fender displacement to dolphin
displacement
 Berthing Energy
• Relating fender displacement to dolphin displacement

• Fender stiffness taken from manufacturer data

• Tri-pod stiffness modeled with SAP model; accounting for data from
pile driving logs

• Fender support piles – notes from driving logs

– piles went to bedrock under self weight
– Driven another 1-2 feet
– soil is poor and likely deformed from previous displacements
– Given poor soil condition and relatively long length of piling…
– Chosen to ignore lateral stiffness – probably small compared to fender and
tripod stiffness
– Personally observed that ANY wave action causes movement in fender
support piles
 E1: Force vs Deflection
120
y = 27.66x y = 7.375x y = 5.822x
100

80

Force (Kips)
60 Tripod
Fender
40
Combined (Fender +Tripod)
20

0
0 5 10 15 20
1 1 1
Deflection (inches) = +
kdolphin ktripod 2k fender
E1: Energy vs Fender Deflection
80
Energy Absorbed by Structure (ft-kips)

70 y = 0.3766x2

60
y = 0.3072x2
50

40 Combined (Fender + Tripod)

30 Fender

20 Tripod
y=0
10

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Fender Deflection (inches)

 Force vs Fender Displacement
160

140

120 Kt
100
FORCE (KIPS)

80

Ksys
60

40

20

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
TOTAL DEFLECTION (INCHES)
Recall our ‘Extreme Event’:
Time history for:
Malaspina, August 24, 2010
on Dolphin E1

Pile Force

Vessel Motion
LMT
• Fender support
piling probably
contacted tripod
platform

• Evidence of this
occurring (gouges
in toe-kick plates;
bent cap plates)
• Evidence of this occurring (gouges in
toe-kick plates; bent cap plates)
Determining Berthing Energy: Sap Model of Dolphin E2:
Energy from a berthing vessel is
absorbed by both the fender
AND the tripod structure
 Results
• Histograms

– Normal Approach Velocity

– Berthing Energy
E1 histograms
E2 Histograms
 Results
• Histograms
– Berthing Factor, Cb
(=
m + ma ) v 2 kx 2
– from=
Energy
2 2
– We can represent the kinetic energy as ( Cb mv ) v 2
2
– Where c is a factor representing uncertainty associated with
• Added mass
• Mass of cargo
• Other uncertainties

– A multiplier applied to the mass to account for uncertainties in

berthing energy
 Results
• Histograms
– Knowing
• The mass of vessel – from specification
• The velocity – from measurement
• The displacement, x, - from measurement
• Dolphin system stiffness – from analysis
• It is possible to calculate Cb for each event with:

ksys x 2
Cb = 2
mv v
 Results
• Histograms
– A correction factor histogram will also be constructed
(presently, in the works)

– Consistent with heavy shipping industry

M 2
E f = Vn CeCmCc Cs
2
– Presently, correction factors are hard to find for ferry class
vessels

– Result is a probability distribution for the correction factor

(histogram)
 Implementation
• Statically description of relevant design
parameters
– Description of the uncertainty for:
• Normal velocity
• Impact energy
• Correction factor
 Implementation
• Any of these parameters can be used for
design – end user will have options…
– Design Velocity
• assume vessel mass + added mass
• Published or assumed correction factor(s)
• Specify acceptable deflection, x
• design structure with necessary stiffness
Cb (mv + ma )v 2
k=
x2
 Implementation
• Any of these parameters can be used for
design – end user will have options…
– Design Energy
• Specify acceptable deflection, x
• design structure with necessary stiffness

2E
k= 2
x
 Implementation
• Any of these parameters can be used for design – end user
will have options…
– Design Correction Factor + Design Velocity
• Given vessel displacement (weight)
• Specify acceptable deflection
• design structure with necessary stiffness

k=
( C v )m
b
2
d
2
x
• Novel approach
• May be desirable when considering reliability-based design (LRFD)
• Vessel Displacement and allowable deflection – knows
• Design to a specified (Cv2)….

• We are still studying this possibility…

 Implementation
• Reliability-based design
• Method to account for uncertainty in design
• Result is a structure with quantified degree of reliability
• Probability of not failing
• LRFD approach in structures
 Implementation
• Reliability-based design
 Implementation

• Reliability based
design

– Fit a distribution to
histogram

– Identify demand
value with low
probability of
exceedance

– This will be the

design value
 Implementation

• Reliability based
design

– Design point
chosen for
specified reliability
index

– Our new design

point(s) will be
compatible with
existing design
codes:
AISC, ACI, NDS
 Implementation

• Reliability based
design

– Reliability–based
design criteria for
marine structures
do not
exist, presently

– Implementation
timeframe:
immediate
 Implementation

• Reliability based
design

– Result: facility with a

quantifiable
reliability

– Not achievable with

current standard of
practice

– Velocity, Energy and

potential Cv2
approach should
have general
(system wide)
applicability
 Characterizing the Load Environment of
Washington State Ferries & Alaska Marine
Highway Ferry Landings

Thank you so much!