Real Time Math Simulation of Contact Interaction during Spacecraft Docking and Berthing

Contact reactions of guide surfaces of assembly interfaces lead to the decreasing of theirs lateral and angular misalignments. The focus of this paper is the development of algorithms for computation of guide surfaces contact forces with acceptable engineering accuracy for real time simulation of assembly operations. Therefore, each complex guide surface is described as a set of contacting elements. Each contacting element for one＇s part can be represented by a finite set of geometric primitives which geometry is described by low order algebraic equations. So contact conditions and geometric parameters for all pairs of primitives are determined by analytical expressions. Math models are developed for two classes of contact interaction. The first class includes all cases when each contacting surface has several degrees of freedom of motion. Therefore, contact reactions introduced into differential equations of motion are calculated by using contacting elements penetrations, stiffness and damping parameters. The second class corresponds to all cases when one of contacting surfaces has insignificant inertia and only one degree of freedom of relative displacement counteracted by a spring. Here contact reactions are calculated from spring tension with any practical accuracy. This is very useful in some practical applications. Presented algorithms provide real time simulation together with some approaches for reduction of redundant comnutations.

Modeling and Simulation of Automatic Berthing based on Bow and Stern Thruster Assist for Unmanned Surface Vehicle

In order to solve the technical problems of autonomous berthing of the Unmanned Surface Vehicle(USV),this research has met the requirements of maneuverability berthing under different conditions by effectively using the bow and stern thrusters,which is a technological breakthrough in actual production and life.Based on the MMG model,the maneuverability mathematical model of the USV with bow and stern thruster was established.And the motion simulation of USV maneuvering was carried out through the numerical simulation calculation.Then the berthing plan was designed based on the maneuverability analysis of the USV low-speed motion,and the simulation of automatic berthing for USV was carried out.The research results of this paper can be of certain practical significance for the USV based on the support of the bow and stern thruster in the berthing.At the same time,it also provides a certain theoretical reference for the handling of the USV automatic berthing.

Experimental Study on Allowable Berthing and Mooring Conditions of An Oil Tanker

When an oil tanker under the combined action of wind, waves and tidal current and is berthed or moored to a platform, the impact forces on the fenders and the tensile force in the mooring lines are important factors in the studies of berthing and mooring conditions. Based on the experiment of a berthing and mooring tanker model under the action of wind, wave and tidal current in the same direction, this paper studies the allowable berthing and mooring conditions by considering the tensile forces of mooring lines and impact forces on the fenders, as well as the impact energy on the fenders. And a method has been proposed here for motion amplitude analysis. A successful method to decrease impact forces on the fenders is put forward. Blowing in wind and blowing off wind and different angles between waves and the fenders are considered in the experimental study. In the berthing tests of the tanker model, the impact forces are measured and the impact energy is calculated, then the berthing conditions are determined. In the mooring tests of the tanker model, the mooring line tensile forces and impact forces are measured, and the allowable mooring conditions are given that will be useful to engineering design.

Study on Ship Automatic Berthing System with Mooring Lines

This study describes an automatic berthing system with mooring lines. It is designed to be berthed by using mooring device on the upper deck of a ship. It is to berth once maintaining parallel with the quay by controlling both forward and aft breast lines. Berthing method is used through length adjustment of mooring lines connected between ship and quay by controlling the angular velocity and the torque of hydraulic motor in mooring device. The study is conducted under three changing conditions of draft, such as even-keel, rise of the gravity center and trim to stern. Variables affecting berthing stability are determined based on the control performance of each condition. Bond graphs method is used to model the system. Controller is designed as PID control method of reference-model algorithm. The control program is composed of synchronous control system based on the equations derived with the numerical analysis. The tank test is conducted to verify the usefulness of the control program.

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF TRANSIENT FLOW AROUND A SHIP IN UNSTEADY BERTHING MOTION

Ship berthing is a specific maneuver operation. The flow around a berthing ship and the forces acting on the hull are quite different from those for a ship in normal navigation. By solving the unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes （RANS） equations, the transient flow field around a ship undergoing unsteady lateral motion is simulated and the varying lateral hydrodynamic force acting on the hull is evaluated in this article. The numerical results obtained with different turbulence models are analyzed and compared with experimental results and other numerical results published in literature, and a turbulence model more suitable for simulation of the viscous flow around a ship undergoing unsteady berthing is determined.

Numerical Study on Water Depth Effects on Hydrodynamic Forces Acting on Berthing Ships

Due to the restrictions of ports, maneuverability of berthing ships will be affected significantly by water depth. In the present study, numerical simulation of the berthing maneuver of a ship with prescribed translational motion is performed by solving the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations based on overset grid, and the effects of the quaywall and freesurface are taken into consideration. To validate the present numerical method, comparison is performed between our results and the other results or measurements. It is found that the agreement is significantly better than that resulting from previous CFD-based approach. Subsequently, the effects of various water depths are investigated to evaluate their influences on hydrodynamic forces. The present results can provide helpful guidance on safe maneuvering for vessels’ berthing and fender system design in quays. © 2017, Shanghai Jiaotong University and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Analysis of Angular Side Berthing Against a Rubber Cone Fender

This paper analyzes fender selection process in berth design and focuses on the case of a rigid berth with rubber cone fenders.Fender types and performance comparison methods are studied along with current numerical models.Berth design methods are analyzed with a focus on berthing energy calculation and fender selection.A new approach to determine the required fender capacity is suggested.A finite elements rubber cone model is tested and used in simulations of angular side berthing.Results show that the energy absorbed by the fender can be much higher than what can be calculated with the current berth design method.A new form for the expression of the energy that must be absorbed by the fender during angular berthing impact is suggested.

基于三维测量的无人艇自动靠泊引导方法研究

Automatic berthing guidance is an important aspect of automated ship technology to obtain the ship-shore position relationship.The current mainstream measurement methods for ship-shore position relationships are based on radar,multisensor fusion,and visual detection technologies.This paper proposes an automated ship berthing guidance method based on three-dimensional(3D)target measurement and compares it with a single-target recognition method using a binocular camera.An improved deep object pose estimation(DOPE)network is used in this method to predict the pixel coordinates of the two-dimensional(2D)keypoints of the shore target in the image.The pixel coordinates are then converted into 3D coordinates through the camera imaging principle,and an algorithm for calculating the relationship between the ship and the shore is proposed.Experiments were conducted on the improved DOPE network and the actual ship guidance performance to verify the effectiveness of the method.Results show that the proposed method with a monocular camera has high stability and accuracy and can meet the requirements of automatic berthing.

Aheuristic Algorithm for Berth Scheduling Problem in Container Ports

In this paper,the berth scheduling problem is transformed into a special two-dimensional packing problem with some constraints.A nonlinear programming model for the problem is established,and a heuristic algorithm is proposed to solve the model.Simulation results show that the algorithm can improve the utilization of berths on discrete berth scheduling in the container port.

Mooring Model Experiment and Mooring Line Force Calculation

Mooring model experiment and mooring line tension determination are of significance to the design of mooring systems and berthing structures. This paper mainly involves: (a) description and analysis of a mooring model experiment; (b) derivation of static equilibrium equations for a moored ship subjected to wind, current and waves; (c) solution of mooring equations with the Monte Carlo method; (d) qualitative analysis of effects of pier piles on mooring line forces. Special emphasis is placed on the derivation of static equilibrium equations, solution method and the mooring model experiment.

Integration of Berth Allocation and Quay Crane Assignment in Tidal Container Ports

Tide is a significant factor which interferes with the berthing and departing operations of vessels in tidal ports. It is a preferable way to incorporate this factor into the simultaneous berth allocation and quay crane( QC) assignment problem( BACAP) in order to facilitate the realistic decision-making process at container terminal. For this purpose,an integrated optimization model is built with tidal time windows as forbidden intervals for berthing or departing. A hind-and-fore adjustment heuristic is proposed and applied under an iterative optimization framework. Numerical experiment shows the satisfying performance of the proposed algorithm.

Practical Solutions for Reducing Container Ships' Waiting Times at Ports Using Simulation Model

The main challenge for container ports is the planning required for berthing container ships while docked in port.Growth of containerization is creating problems for ports and container terminals as they reach their capacity limits of various resources which increasingly leads to traffic and port congestion.Good planning and management of container terminal operations reduces waiting time for liner ships.Reducing the waiting time improves the terminal’s productivity and decreases the port difficulties.Two important keys to reducing waiting time with berth allocation are determining suitable access channel depths and increasing the number of berths which in this paper are studied and analyzed as practical solutions.Simulation based analysis is the only way to understand how various resources interact with each other and how they are affected in the berthing time of ships.We used the Enterprise Dynamics software to produce simulation models due to the complexity and nature of the problems.We further present case study for berth allocation simulation of the biggest container terminal in Iran and the optimum access channel depth and the number of berths are obtained from simulation results.The results show a significant reduction in the waiting time for container ships and can be useful for major functions in operations and development of container ship terminals.

An Improved Genetic Algorithm for Berth Scheduling at Bulk Terminal

Berth and loading and unloading machinery are not only the mainfactors that affecting the terminal operation, but also the main starting point ofenergy saving and emission reduction. In this paper, a genetic Algorithm Framework is designed for the berth allocation with low carbon and high efficiency atbulk terminal. In solving the problem, the scheduler’s experience is transformedinto a regular way to obtain the initial solution. The individual is represented as achromosome, and the sub-chromosomes are encoded as integers, the roulettewheel method is used for selection, the two-point crossing method is used forcross, and the exchange variation method is used for variation in the procedureof designing the Algorithm. Considering the complexity of berth schedulingproblem and the diversity of constraints and boundary conditions, the geneticalgorithm combines with system simulation to get the final scheme of berthallocation. This model and algorithm are verified to be practical by analyzingmultiple sets of examples of shorelines with different lengths. When comparedwith the traditional algorithms in three aspects which includes berth offsetdistance, departure delay cost and energy consumption of portal crane, the resultindicates that the improved algorithm is more effective and feasible. The studywill help to lower energy consumption and resource waste, reduce environmentalpollution, and provide a reference for low-carbon, green and sustainable development of the terminal.

Berth-crane allocation under uncertainty:dynamic modeling and nested Tabu search

The integrated berth-crane allocation problem at container terminals is addressed under the uncertainty of vessel arrival time at operational level. To ensure both robustness and flexibility of the 2-stage decision processes,a dynamic decision framework is proposed based on the dynamic analysis of information and operation at container terminal. A mixed integer programming model is established aiming at minimizing total cost of all vessels,including the cost of fixed to-be-executed decisions in the 1^(st) stage and expected cost of the adjustable stochastic-scenario-based decisions of all scenarios in the 2^(nd) stage. A multi-layer nested Tabu search is proposed for each epoch dynamically. Finally numerical experiments have been conducted to testify the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed model and algorithm.

Analysis of Variables of Vessel Calls in a Container Terminal

The handling efficiency of container terminal may be affected by variables of vessel calls, loading and discharge of container in the terminal. Some of the previous studies indicated that the performance of ship operation would be affected by variables of vessel calls, such as ship size, container loaded and container discharged would affect the handling rate of ship operation, but it didn’t clarify on the degree of relationship and lack of variable container shifted/restowed. Therefore, this study would further study on the softcoming, to analyse the relationship between variables of vessel calls with berth turnaround time, that affected the ship operation’s performance. Extensive observation and survey activities were conducted at Malaysian’s Port and the collected data was based on ship operation delay parameters;like berth turnaround time, total move, total discharge, total load, shift/restow, and length overall of vessels. The initial result showed that total move, total discharge and total load had high correlation with berth turnaround time. The r-value of total move, total discharge and total load are 0.877, 0.716 and 0.804 respectively. Therefore, this study concluded that the berth turnaround time is highly affected by total move, total discharge and total load. Consequently, the research output would be as a decision making tool to port planner.

Fast-Constructed Marine and Port Structures

In order to provide short construction period and to avoid bulky technologies in maritime conditions some rational structures and installation methods are worked out. These methods may be applied for erection of temporary (seasonable) near-shore constructions;they are comparatively cheap and do not involve heavy construction equipment and mechanisms.

Collaborative Optimization of Berth Allocation and Yard Storage in Container Terminals

Considering the interaction between the berth and the yard,this paper studies the collaborative optimization problem of berth allocation and yard storage from the point of the ships over a certain planning period.This collaborative optimization problem is formulated as the integer programming,which aims at minimizing the total truck travel distance.And decision variables are the berthing positions for visiting ships and the storage positions for export containers.Meanwhile,this paper demonstrates the complexity of the problem in theory.And the hybrid tabu genetic algorithm is designed to solve the problem to obtain the optimal berth allocation position and export container storage position.For this algorithm,the rule is applied to generate the initial feasible solutions,and the crossover and mutation operation are simultaneously applied to optimize the initial solutions.Finally,this paper discusses two different scenes:the same berth scene and the same ship scene.The influence of two different scenes on truck travel distance is analyzed by different numerical examples.Numerical examples’results show that the collaborative optimization of berth allocation and yard storage can effectively shorten the truck travel distance and improve the efficiency of terminal operation,which provides the decision support for terminal operators.

Nesting and Berth Allocation by an Expert System Using Heuristic Search

Nesting is a common problem in industries such as shipbuilding, auto-maker, clothing, shoe-making, and furniture, in which various parts are cut off from a stock or stocks while minimizing the wastes or maximizing the utilization of the stock. Berth allocation at seaside is also considered one form of two dimensional nesting problems, in which a ship is assigned a location for service during a certain time slot. This paper presents an expert system using a heuristic search method for nesting problems. The parts and stocks are represented by pixels with which utility function is used to evaluate current state in search tree. The system is developed in CLIPS, an expert system shell and applied to various example problems with different constraints and to a berth allocation example to illustrate its applicability under different conditions.

Research on the Prediction of Quay Crane Resource Hour based on Ensemble Learning

In Container terminals,a quay crane’s resource hour is affected by various complex nonlinear factors,and it is not easy to make a forecast quickly and accurately.Most ports adopt the empirical estimation method at present,and most of the studies assumed that accurate quay crane’s resource hour could be obtained in advance.Through the ensemble learning(EL)method,the influence factors and correlation of quay crane’s resources hour were analyzed based on a large amount of historical data.A multi-factor ensemble learning estimation model based quay crane’s resource hour was established.Through a numerical example,it is finally found that Adaboost algorithm has the best effect of prediction,with an error of 1.5%.Through the example analysis,it comes to a conclusion:the error is 131.86%estimated by the experience method.It will lead that subsequent shipping cannot be serviced as scheduled,increasing the equipment wait time and preparation time,and generating additional cost and energy consumption.In contrast,the error based Adaboost learning estimation method is 12.72%.So Adaboost has better performance.

An Analysis of Net Berth Productivity in the Handling Operations with Dry Bulk Cargoes in a Seaport

Productivity at the berth is one from the group of port productivity measures which is closely tied to ship turnaround times.Net berth productivity is value of productivity related to the operational time at the berth.Based on the facts identified from available literature about minor share of researches related to the net berth productivity in the handling operations with dry bulk cargoes in a seaport,it was decided to take this port productivity metrics as an object of a research.After a detailed analysis of different categories of the net berth productivity in the handling operations with dry bulks,key groups of influential factors which determine values of the net berth productivity are identified and systematized.Some principal elements related to improving net berth productivity are taken into consideration,too.Concrete results shown in this paper are related to the Dry Bulk Cargo Terminal in the Port of Bar(Montenegro).