Investigation of dynamic response of vertical surface-piercing cylinders in wind and wave using two-way fluid-structure interaction numerical simulations

Cylinder is one of the most common structural members in coastal and offshore structures, which withstands complex marine environmental loads in the whole service lifetime. For those surface-piercing cylinders, both hydrodynamic and aerodynamic loads should be considered during their design and maintenance. There are a number of studies about wind or wave loads on cylinders but few concern the combined wind and wave effects. In this study, a three-dimensional two-way coupling numerical model was developed integrating waves2Foam and CalculiX using preCICE to simulate combined wind and waves acting on a flexible vertical surface-piercing cylinder. The numerical model was checked against a physical experiment carried out in the wind tunnel-wave flume laboratory. With the validated numerical model, the dynamic responses of a flexible vertical surface-piercing cylinder in combined wind and waves were investigated. It was found that wave height and wave period would significantly influence wind-wave coupling effects. An increase in both wave height and wave period leads to a more unfavorable wind-wave coupling effect. This work provides a practical method for analyzing the dynamic response of vertical surface-piercing cylinders under combined wind and wave loads and offers primary insights into the design of coastal and offshore structures in marine environmental loads.