Probabilistic Modeling of Horizontal Wave-in-Deck Loads on a Square Concrete Deck

The square concrete deck is being used as an elevated transition piece in offshore structure but has a large exposure area to extreme waves. This study focused on the horizontal wave-in-deck loads on the square concrete deck. Wave flume tests were carried out to investigate the wave-in-deck loads on a specimen of a square concrete deck. Horizontal wave-in-deck loads on the specimen with ten different structural orientations were measured under three nonlinear regular wave trains. A novel analytical model of the horizontal wave-in-deck loads on the square thick deck was proposed by including both impact maxima and pulse shape function. The temporal development of the resultant horizontal wave-in-deck loads was studied from the measured forces through data post-processing. The effects of structural orientation, inundation depth, and the correlation between the rise and decay time were considered based on the experimental data. The marginal distributions of the impact maxima and rise time for the horizontal wave-in-deck loads on the square deck were investigated, and the joint probability model of impact maxima and rise time was finally developed using Plackett copula. The research provides a useful stochastic model in assessing the wave-in-deck loads on the square concrete deck.