Statistical Analysis of Ship Impact Forces on Light Wharf Structures

In the present study,the formula calculating ship impact forces on light wharf structures is presented when the elastic deformation of the hull and the pier structures as well as the nonlinear deformation of the fender are taken into account. The ship impact forces are statistically analyzed with the Monte-Carlo method according to the known probability distribution types of random variables.Based on the simulated results, the distribution of ship impact forces which is characterized by bimodal distribution can be expressed as the combining probability density function of beta distribution and normal distribution. The corresponding parameters of the probability density function can be estimated with the maximum likelihood method. The results show that ship impact forces on light wharf structures follow the distribution of type I extreme value.The mean coefficient and variation coefficient are 1.11 and 0.008 respectively during 50 years of design reference period.