Wide-band wave-damping floating breakwater imitating throat fold structure of whale and wave regulation method thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a wide-band wave-damping floating breakwater with a whale throat wrinkle structure and a wave regulation method thereof. The wide-band wave-damping floating breakwater comprises a flexible curtain surface, a plurality of fixed horizontal rods uniformly arranged on the flexible curtain surface, a floating body connected with the fixed horizontal rods arranged at the top end of the flexible curtain surface, an elastic recovery assembly connected with the fixed horizontal rods arranged at the bottom end of the flexible curtain surface, and a plurality of diamond-shaped frames, at least one diamond-shaped frame being fixedly arranged between every two adjacent fixed horizontal rods. A pair of diagonal points of the diamond-shaped frame are arranged on the two adjacent fixed horizontal rods respectively, and the connecting line of the two points is perpendicular to the fixed horizontal rod. All the arranged diamond-shaped frames are arranged in an upper and lower diagonal staggered and horizontally uniform manner, and the whole is symmetrical about the longitudinal axis of the flexible curtain surface. The diamond-shaped frame is a deformable geometric unit, and the elastic recovery assembly is used for providing a buffering effect. The application has a self-adapting wide-band wave-damping capability and can significantly improve the turbulent energy dissipation efficiency and effectively release local stress.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the fields of marine engineering and coastal engineering technology, and in particular to a wide-band wave-dissipating floating breakwater with a structure inspired by the folds in the throat of a whale, its anchoring system, wave control method, and application. Background Technology

[0002] As global marine resource development gradually moves towards the deep sea, offshore structures such as deep-water operation platforms and deep-sea cage aquaculture systems face increasingly harsh and complex wave environments. In particular, the frequent impact of long-period, high-energy strong winds and waves poses extremely high technical challenges to deep-sea protection engineering. Traditional gravity-type vertical walls or sloping breakwaters have costs that increase exponentially with water depth and cause significant ecological disturbance to the seabed foundation. In contrast, floating breakwaters, due to their ease of construction, lack of depth limitations, environmental friendliness, and relocation capabilities, have become the main development direction for wave control in deep-sea engineering.

[0003] However, existing traditional floating breakwaters (such as single-box, pontoon-jointed, or rigid plate structures) generally face technical bottlenecks such as severe long-wave penetration and narrow energy dissipation frequency bands when deployed in deep-sea applications. Because the energy dissipation mechanism of traditional rigid breakwaters is highly dependent on their fixed geometric dimensions, when the incident wave wavelength is much larger than the breakwater width, long-period waves may propagate beneath the floating breakwater, resulting in a high transmission coefficient or triggering strong overall rigid resonance, leading to a sharp increase in the transmission coefficient of the water behind the structure. Many traditional floating breakwaters are effective at dissipating shorter-period waves, but their ability to control long-period waves is limited.

[0004] Furthermore, the rigid boundaries of existing breakwaters are prone to inducing high-stress fatigue. Faced with the impact kinetic energy of strong winds and waves, the wave-facing surface of rigid structures is subjected to extremely high local loads for extended periods, easily leading to fatigue failure of protective materials or fracture of the bottom mooring system due to excessive instantaneous peak loads. Although existing technologies attempt to incorporate the concept of free-surface fluid control into flexible fabric breakwaters, the lack of a responsive framework that can dynamically adjust with wave loads means that flexible materials are prone to disordered entanglement and kinking in complex flow fields, resulting in highly unstable energy dissipation efficiency. Therefore, there is an urgent need to propose a novel floating breakwater and its system with adaptive structural stiffness adjustment capabilities, capable of achieving efficient dissipation of wave energy across a wide waveband and flexible unloading of local stress. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides a wide-band wave-dissipating floating breakwater with a structure mimicking the folds of a whale's throat, its anchoring system, wave control method, and application.

[0006] The first objective of this invention is to provide a wide-band wave-dissipating floating breakwater with a structure that mimics the folds of a whale's throat.

[0007] The second objective of this invention is to provide an anchoring system for a wide-band wave-dissipating floating breakwater.

[0008] The third objective of this invention is to provide a wave control method for a wide-band wave-dissipating floating breakwater.

[0009] The fourth objective of this invention is to provide an application method.

[0010] The first objective of this invention can be achieved by adopting the following technical solution:

[0011] A wide-band wave-damping floating breakwater with a structure mimicking the folds of a whale's throat includes:

[0012] Flexible curtain surface;

[0013] Multiple fixed crossbars are evenly distributed on the flexible curtain surface to support the flexible curtain surface to maintain horizontal unfolding and flatness;

[0014] The float is connected to a fixed crossbar installed at the top of the flexible curtain by steel cables;

[0015] The elastic recovery component is connected to the fixed crossbars installed at the bottom of the flexible curtain by steel cables;

[0016] Multiple rhomboid frames are fixedly installed between every two adjacent fixed crossbars. A pair of diagonal points of the rhomboid frame are fixedly installed on two adjacent fixed crossbars, and the line connecting the two points is perpendicular to the fixed crossbar. All fixed rhomboid frames are staggered diagonally, evenly arranged horizontally, and are symmetrical about the longitudinal axis of the flexible curtain. When more than two rhomboid frames are fixedly installed between two adjacent fixed crossbars, the distance between two adjacent rhomboid frames is greater than twice the side length of the rhomboid frame to avoid collision.

[0017] The rhomboid frame is a deformable geometric unit formed by a hinged structure, which can undergo shear deformation under wave action; the elastic recovery component is used to provide a buffering effect.

[0018] Preferably, the rhomboid frame is a hinged multi-section linkage structure, and the connecting rods of the frame are made of shape memory alloy material.

[0019] Preferably, the elastic recovery assembly consists of a spring and two iron plates of the same size, with the two iron plates fixedly disposed at the upper and lower ends of the spring; the upper iron plate is connected to the fixed crossbar at the lower end.

[0020] Preferably, the stiffness coefficient of the spring is configured according to the dominant wave characteristics of the sea area.

[0021] Preferably, the flexible curtain is made of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fabric to ensure the robustness of the material boundary under long-term water flow reciprocating load.

[0022] Preferably, the height and width of the flexible curtain are determined by the depth of the seawater and the width of the marine structure to be placed, respectively.

[0023] Preferably, under hydrodynamic shearing, the flexible curtain expands and contracts, and the unfolding shape of its surface folds regulates the flow resistance coefficient of the flow channel, thereby constructing a time-varying boundary adaptive turbulent energy dissipation mechanism in space.

[0024] The second objective of this invention can be achieved by adopting the following technical solution:

[0025] An anchoring system for a broadband wave-dissipating floating breakwater includes a suction anchor and the aforementioned broadband wave-dissipating floating breakwater; the suction anchor is connected to the bottom of an elastic recovery component via a steel cable.

[0026] The third objective of this invention can be achieved by adopting the following technical solution:

[0027] A wave control method for a broadband wave-dissipating floating breakwater, based on the aforementioned broadband wave-dissipating floating breakwater or the aforementioned mooring system, the method comprising:

[0028] By using a floating body as the primary barrier, the high-frequency wave components of the incident wind waves are intercepted and reflected to achieve primary dissipation of wave energy.

[0029] When the main wave fluid penetrates downwards into the water column channel, the wave load acts on the flexible curtain, forcing the flexible curtain to undergo three-dimensional folding and expansion, thereby changing the roughness and cross-section of the local flow channel and converting the wave kinetic energy into turbulent viscous dissipation of the fluid boundary layer.

[0030] By utilizing the multipath effect of the folds in the flexible curtain, phase interference and diffraction wave height reduction are performed on the transmitted waves transmitted to the protected water area behind the dike.

[0031] Under the continuous action of alternating wave force, the skeleton composed of rhomboid frame and elastic recovery component is driven to undergo elastic shear reciprocating deformation. Through the mechanical energy storage of the elastic recovery component and the shearing of fluid particles at the fluid-structure interaction interface, the hydrodynamic penetration of long period waves is reduced.

[0032] Preferably, when the main wave fluid penetrates downward into the water column channel, the surface dynamic flow resistance of the flexible curtain changes with the incident wave height.

[0033] The fourth objective of this invention can be achieved by adopting the following technical solution:

[0034] One application method involves applying the aforementioned broadband wave-dissipating floating breakwater, the aforementioned mooring system, or the aforementioned wave control method to large-scale multifunctional marine bases or cage aquaculture areas in deep waters to achieve broadband adaptive wave protection.

[0035] The present invention has the following advantages over the prior art:

[0036] (1) Possesses adaptive wideband wave dissipation capability: This invention overcomes the technical limitation that the wave dissipation frequency band of traditional floating breakwaters is limited by fixed geometric dimensions. By utilizing the synergistic deformation of the rhomboid frame and the elastic recovery component, the structural stiffness is nonlinearly time-varying with the frequency and amplitude of wave force, and has significant composite attenuation and dissipation capabilities for both long-period waves and high-frequency wind waves.

[0037] (2) Significantly improves turbulent energy dissipation efficiency: This invention utilizes the large-scale expansion and folding of the flexible curtain pleats to greatly increase the effective contact area between the fluid and the structure, enhance the wall viscous friction and induce severe boundary layer separation and micro-vortex counter-current. Compared with traditional structures, the wave dissipation efficiency is significantly improved.

[0038] (3) Effectively release local stress and extend the service life of the project: The core energy dissipation barrier of the present invention adopts a combination structure of flexible curtain and elastic recovery component. When subjected to strong wind and wave load impact, it can adapt to the wave motion through flexible buffer and structural adaptive deformation, thereby eliminating the local stress concentration of the rigid wall and effectively reducing the instantaneous tension peak of the mooring system.

[0039] (4) Modular assembly, stable deep-water mooring: The device structure of the present invention is easy to industrialize and assemble as a whole. The bottom is combined with suction anchor technology, which can achieve rapid deployment and stable anchoring with high pull-out resistance in deep-sea soft soil or complex silt seabed. Attached Figure Description

[0040] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0041] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the anchoring system of the broadband wave-dissipating floating breakwater according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the axial frontal view of the mooring system of the broadband wave-dissipating floating breakwater according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the overall lateral cross-section of the mooring system of the broadband wave-dissipating floating breakwater according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the rhomboid frame according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the spatial grid connection relationship between the rhomboid frame, the fixed crossbar, and the flexible curtain in the assembled state according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the elastic recovery component according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] The reference numerals in the attached figures are explained as follows:

[0048] 1-Float, 2-Fixed crossbar, 3-Flexible curtain, 4-Rhomboid frame, 5-Elastic recovery component, 6-Suction anchor. Detailed Implementation

[0049] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described are merely used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0050] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, the technical terms "upper", "lower", "top", "bottom", "horizontal", "lateral", "longitudinal", "bottom surface", "parallel", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship between the components. They are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the embodiments of the present invention.

[0051] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the technical terms such as "connection," "hinged," "set," and "fixed" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of the present invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0052] Example:

[0053] refer to Figures 1 to 3 The mooring system for the wide-band wave-dissipating floating breakwater provided in this embodiment includes a wide-band wave-dissipating floating breakwater with a structure resembling the folds of a whale's throat and suction anchors 6, which are arranged in a standardized and modular manner. The wide-band wave-dissipating floating breakwater with a structure resembling the folds of a whale's throat includes:

[0054] Flexible curtain surface 3;

[0055] Multiple fixed crossbars 2 are evenly distributed on the flexible curtain surface 3 to support the flexible curtain surface 3 to maintain its horizontal unfolding and flatness;

[0056] The float 1 is connected to the fixed crossbar 2, which is installed at the top of the flexible curtain 3, by steel cable.

[0057] The elastic recovery component 5 is connected to the fixed crossbar 2, which is installed at the bottom of the flexible curtain 3, by a steel cable.

[0058] Multiple rhomboid frames 4 are fixedly installed between two adjacent fixed crossbars 2; the diagonal points of each rhomboid frame 4 are respectively set on two connected fixed crossbars 2 and have the same horizontal coordinate; all the fixed rhomboid frames 4 are staggered diagonally, evenly arranged horizontally, and are symmetrical about the longitudinal axis of the flexible curtain 3.

[0059] Specifically, the flexible curtain 3 is rectangular. Fixed crossbars 2 are provided at the top and bottom of the flexible curtain 3, and multiple fixed crossbars 2 are evenly distributed between the top and bottom of the flexible curtain 3 to support the flexible curtain 3 to maintain its horizontal unfolding and flatness.

[0060] In one embodiment, the flexible curtain 3 is rectangular, and the fixed crossbars 2 are evenly and parallelly arranged on the flexible curtain 3 in the height direction. The length of the fixed crossbars 2 is the same as the width of the flexible curtain 3.

[0061] The uppermost float 1 serves as the main rigid load-bearing platform. Its internal design incorporates a multi-door, sealed buoyancy structure to support the engineering facilities above and provide stable and ample reserve buoyancy. The bottom of float 1 is connected to a fixed crossbar 2, which is fixed to the top of the flexible curtain 3, via steel cables. The fixed crossbar 2 is parallel to float 1 and serves to suspend and support the flexible curtain 3.

[0062] One or more rhomboid frames 4 are fixed between every two adjacent fixed crossbars 2, maintaining a certain distance in both the horizontal and vertical directions to prevent collisions. This supports the flexible curtain 3 while preserving the longitudinal flexibility of the entire system. (Reference) Figure 4The rhomboid frame 4 is composed of multiple connecting rods hinged together by a rotating shaft. The connecting rods are made of nickel-titanium shape memory alloy, which has excellent anisotropic shear deformation capability. The entire wide-band wave-dissipating floating breakwater structure provides reliable support while also being extendable, enabling it to cope with wave impacts over a wider range of wave heights.

[0063] refer to Figure 5 The flexible curtain 3, supported by multiple fixed crossbars 2 and multiple rhomboid frames 4, is the core energy dissipation wall. This curtain mimics the highly tensile, flexible structure of the ventral folds of a whale's throat skin, allowing it to deform and unfold under wave action. The unfolded folds increase the contact area and surface roughness between the curtain and the water, enhancing the interaction between waves and the flexible curtain 3. This can also increase flow resistance, induce flow separation and vortices, thereby promoting wave energy dissipation and reducing the height of transmitted waves.

[0064] refer to Figure 6 The elastic recovery assembly 5, consisting of two fixed iron plates at the top and bottom and a spring in the middle, further increases the system's flexibility. It is an important buffer component connecting the wide-band wave-dissipating floating breakwater and the suction anchor 6, reducing overall losses and increasing ultimate bearing capacity. The upper fixed iron plate is connected to the bottom fixed crossbar 2 via steel cables, and the lower fixed iron plate is connected to the suction anchor 6 via steel cables.

[0065] In one embodiment, if the seawater depth is 15m, then the height of the flexible curtain 3 is 10m (2 / 3 of the water depth). Considering wave diffraction and the distance between the protected object (such as an offshore platform) and the breakwater, if the width L of the protected object is 8m and the distance d between the protected object and the breakwater is 3m, then the width of the flexible curtain 3 should be slightly greater than 3.5m (L + 10m). d).

[0066] In one embodiment, if the wavelength of ocean waves is generally long, a spring with a relatively small elastic coefficient is selected to form the elastic recovery component 5; if the wavelength of ocean waves is generally short, a spring with a relatively large elastic coefficient is selected to form the elastic recovery component 5. When the incident wave height increases, the flexible curtain 3 extends accordingly; when the incident wave height decreases, the flexible curtain 3 contracts accordingly; its shape and relative position change, thus manifesting as a change in surface dynamic flow resistance.

[0067] The mooring system for the wide-band wave-dissipating floating breakwater provided in this embodiment uses an advanced suction anchor 6 as its foundation. The suction anchor 6 is forcefully inserted into the deep-sea silt layer or soft seabed using on-site negative pressure pumping technology, providing extremely high single-pile pull-out resistance. The top of the suction anchor 6 is securely anchored to a seawater corrosion-resistant steel cable and an elastic recovery component 5, ensuring the overall breakwater system's planar berthing stability under high wind and wave conditions.

[0068] This embodiment also provides a wave control method for a broadband wave-dissipating floating breakwater, which is based on the aforementioned broadband wave-dissipating floating breakwater with a whale throat-like pleated structure. The steps are as follows:

[0069] (1) Rigid base plate first stage impedance: The rigid floating body 1 on the water surface is used to forcibly reflect and block the high frequency components of the incident wind waves on the surface, protecting the water area behind the wide-band wave-dissipating floating breakwater.

[0070] (2) Biomimetic fold adaptive expansion energy dissipation stage: When the wave penetrates the flexible curtain 3 flowing through the middle layer, the fluid shear force drives the curtain to nonlinearly expand the fold shape of the whale's throat and belly. The fold boundary forcibly cuts the flow bundle, increases the flow friction surface area and induces large-scale boundary layer flow separation, converting wave energy into heat energy dissipation of boundary layer turbulent micro vortex.

[0071] (3) Wave attenuation and overtopping stage: Under the action of waves, the flexible curtain 3 (flexible pleated barrier) unfolds and deforms, increasing its projected area facing the current, thereby increasing fluid resistance and drag. At the same time, the pleated structure of the flexible curtain 3 extends the flow path of the water and induces flow separation, local eddies and viscous dissipation, causing some wave energy to be converted and dissipated. Therefore, the transmitted wave amplitude and overtopping velocity are reduced, and the wave energy transmitted to the back wave side of the breakwater is correspondingly reduced.

[0072] Through the continuous and seamless triggering of the above-mentioned rigid-flexible synergy and fluid-structure strong coupling energy dissipation path in space and time, a complete biomimetic wave energy self-absorption and self-dissipation chain is formed, realizing high-precision attenuation of harsh spectrums in multiple frequency bands and full cycles in the deep sea.

[0073] It should be noted that although the method operations of the above embodiments are described in a specific order, this does not require or imply that these operations must be performed in that specific order, or that all the operations shown must be performed to achieve the desired result. On the contrary, the described steps may be performed in a different order. Additionally or alternatively, certain steps may be omitted, multiple steps may be combined into one step, and / or one step may be broken down into multiple steps.

[0074] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art within the scope disclosed in the present invention, based on the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention, shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wide-band wave-damping floating breakwater with a structure mimicking the folds of a whale's throat, characterized in that, include: Flexible curtain surface; Multiple fixed crossbars are evenly distributed on the flexible curtain surface to support the flexible curtain surface to maintain horizontal unfolding and flatness; The float is connected to a fixed crossbar installed at the top of the flexible curtain by steel cables; The elastic recovery component is connected to the fixed crossbars installed at the bottom of the flexible curtain by steel cables; Multiple rhomboid frames are fixedly installed between every two adjacent fixed crossbars. A pair of diagonal points of the rhomboid frame are fixedly installed on two adjacent fixed crossbars, and the line connecting the two points is perpendicular to the fixed crossbar. All fixed rhomboid frames are staggered diagonally, evenly arranged horizontally, and are symmetrical about the longitudinal axis of the flexible curtain. When more than two rhomboid frames are fixedly installed between two adjacent fixed crossbars, the distance between two adjacent rhomboid frames is greater than twice the side length of the rhomboid frame to avoid collision. The rhomboid frame is a deformable geometric unit formed by a hinged structure, which can undergo shear deformation under wave action; the elastic recovery component is used to provide a buffering effect.

2. The broadband wave-damping floating breakwater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rhomboid frame is a hinged multi-section linkage structure, and the connecting rods of the frame are made of shape memory alloy material.

3. The broadband wave-damping floating breakwater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The elastic recovery assembly consists of a spring and two iron plates of the same size, with the two iron plates fixedly mounted at the upper and lower ends of the spring; the upper iron plate is connected to the fixed crossbar at the lower end.

4. The broadband wave-damping floating breakwater according to claim 3, characterized in that, The stiffness coefficient of the spring is configured according to the dominant wave characteristics of the sea area.

5. The broadband wave-damping floating breakwater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flexible curtain is made of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fabric to ensure the robustness of the material boundary under long-term water flow reciprocating load.

6. The broadband wave-damping floating breakwater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The height and width of the flexible curtain are determined by the depth of the seawater and the width of the marine structure to be placed, respectively.

7. The broadband wave-damping floating breakwater according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, Under hydrodynamic shearing, the flexible curtain expands and contracts, and the unfolding shape of its surface folds regulates the flow resistance coefficient of the flow channel, thereby constructing a time-varying boundary adaptive turbulent energy dissipation mechanism in space.

8. A mooring system for a broadband wave-damping floating breakwater, characterized in that, It includes a suction anchor and a wide-band wave-dissipating floating breakwater as described in any one of claims 1 to 7; the suction anchor is connected to the bottom of the elastic recovery component by a steel cable.

9. A wave control method for a broadband wave-dissipating floating breakwater, implemented based on the broadband wave-dissipating floating breakwater according to any one of claims 1 to 7 or the mooring system according to claim 8, characterized in that, The method includes: By using a floating body as the primary barrier, the high-frequency wave components of the incident wind waves are intercepted and reflected to achieve primary dissipation of wave energy. When the main wave fluid penetrates downwards into the water column channel, the wave load acts on the flexible curtain, forcing the flexible curtain to undergo three-dimensional folding and expansion, thereby changing the roughness and cross-section of the local flow channel and converting the wave kinetic energy into turbulent viscous dissipation of the fluid boundary layer. By utilizing the multipath effect of the folds in the flexible curtain, phase interference and diffraction wave height reduction are performed on the transmitted waves that propagate to the protected water area behind the broadband wave-dissipating floating breakwater. Under the continuous action of alternating wave force, the skeleton composed of rhomboid frame and elastic recovery component is driven to undergo elastic shear reciprocating deformation. Through the mechanical energy storage of the elastic recovery component and the shearing of fluid particles at the fluid-structure interaction interface, the hydrodynamic penetration of long period waves is reduced.

10. The wave control method according to claim 9, characterized in that, When the main wave fluid penetrates downwards into the water column channel, the surface dynamic flow resistance of the flexible curtain changes with the incident wave height.

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