Response characteristic of crane-wharf interaction system: Numerical simulation and global sensitivity analysis

Crane, an important platform to carry and move cargo in the ports, can evidently affect the overall response of pile-supported wharf system. In many earlier analytical studies, the crane was simply represented by a lumped mass. Such modeling is unable to realistically replicate the salient response characteristics of crane-wharf interaction system. To investigate such interaction effects, a three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) model of a typical crane-wharf system is developed. As such, the static/dynamic response of pile-supported wharf with/without crane are systematically studied and directly compared. In addition, global sensitivity analysis is conducted to explore the effects of input parameter uncertainties on global response of crane-wharf system. From the computed results, it is shown that: (1) both the static and dynamic response are considerably dependent on the crane-wharf structure as an integral global system; (2) the bending moment and displacement of pile are more sensitive to the friction angle of soil stratum near pile tip; and (3) the interaction effect among various uncertainty parameters becomes more significant with consideration of crane. Overall, the 3D FE analysis technique and the derived insights provide a useful reference and guidance for evaluation of similar crane-wharf interaction system under static/dynamic loading conditions.