Analysis of the Relationship Between the Deflection Pattern of a Floating Plate Induced by Moving Load and the Material Angle by Using the Boundary Element-Moving Element Method

Deflection patterns of a floating plate induced by a moving load have been mentioned in many studies. Generally, the structures have been assumed to be isotropic in those studies. In practical applications of floating structures, the directional-dependent bending stiffness should be considered. On the other hand, the direction of the moving load is not generally parallel to the strong material direction. Hence, the angle between these two directions should be also considered. Based on this issue, responses of a floating flexible orthotropic plate subjected to a moving load in consideration of the material angle are investigated. The plate is modeled as orthotropic Kirchhoff’s plate, while the linearized water wave theory is adopted for the hydrodynamic modeling. A mixed method of Boundary Element Method (BEM) and Moving Element Method (MEM) is introduced in this study in order to conduct the simulation. The dependence of deflection patterns on the material angle is considered according to numerical investigations.