Cassidy Westin’s “Modelling Dynamic Cable-Sheave Contact and Detachment During Towing Operations” has just been published in Elsevier’s journal: Marine Structures.
Abstract:
Cable–sheave systems are commonly used on marine vessels for lifting and towing applications. As a result of the motion of the vessel, the cable can detach from the surface of the sheave. This paper presents a finite element model of a towed cable system based on the Absolute Nodal Coordinate Formulation. The model includes the interaction of the cable with the sheave surface in order to examine variations in the contact forces. Furthermore, a three-dimensional description of the sheave geometry is implemented in order to accurately model the contact forces as the vessel undergoes six degree-of-freedom motion. To assess the performance of the model, the simulated cable behavior is compared to small scale experimental measurements. Finally, a case study which demonstrates the simulated cable detachment behavior for a full scale system is discussed.
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