Experimental investigation of nonlinear dynamic tension in mooring lines

Mooring lines are one of the most important parts of spar platforms. In this work, experimental investigation was carried out to obtain the dynamic tension and discover the nonlinear characters while a mooring line transfers from taut to taut–slack. Results show that, when system parameters change, the mooring line system may transform from one steady state to another, accompanied by tension skip that is 5 times the former steady tension and twice the latter steady tension. Such skip tension may result in platform breakage. For the entire cable structure, the effects of system parameters are very important and need further theoretical research. The presented research lays the foundation for further studies on this transforming mechanism and for optimization of engineering designs.