Marine mussel plaque-inspired anchoring systems for offshore floating structures

受海洋贻贝斑块启发的海上浮动结构锚定系统

• 批准号: EP/X017559/1
• 负责人: Tao Liu
• 金额: $ 25.71万
• 依托单位: Queen Mary University of London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FX017559%2F1
• 关键词: Marine; mussel; plaque; inspired; anchoring

Marine mussels can survive the harsh marine environment at intertidal zones by anchoring themselves to various wet surfaces through adhesive plaques. Recent research progress has highlighted that, in addition to the interaction of protein-based chemistry at the adhesion sites, the unique adhesive structure of a mussel plaque plays an important role. Motivated by this natural phenomenon, the proposal aims to establish the knowledge on the underwater adhesive behaviours of mussel plaque-inspired anchoring systems for the applications of the offshore floating structures.The existing deep water anchoring systems such as drilled piles, suction anchors, and gravity anchors may be subject to various limitations with respect to the cost, the seabed conditions, and the installation; and can cause significant impact on the local marine environment. In addition, removal of these anchoring systems at the decommissioning phase could be difficult and expensive. In comparison, the plaque-like anchoring systems can potentially have the following ground-breaking features: (a) the adhesion at the anchoring systems can be switched on and off based on the requirement, which can lead to revolution in the design, construction, sustainability, and life cycle operation of the offshore floating structures, (b) by using advanced composite materials, the anchoring systems can be applied to a wide range of seabed conditions, i.e., rocky surfaces and soil surfaces, with minimum impact on the local marine environment ( i.e., no drilling or excavation on the seabed is required), and (c) the manufacturing and installation processes can be much more simplified, which leads to cost-effective solutions.The proposed research has the potential for substantial impact on various applications involving offshore floating structures such as offshore floating wind turbine (OFWT) systems, offshore oil rigs, tidal current turbine systems, and subsea infrastructure. Among these applications, it is worth noting that the requirement for developing novel OFWT systems has been highlighted by the offshore renewable energy sector and the recent governmental strategy- the UK Government has already committed to 1 GW of floating wind by 2030. The research will establish lab-scale prototypes of the mussel plaque-inspired anchoring systems. Using a combination of experimental techniques, adhesion theories and numerical modelling approaches, we will (1) evaluate the performance of the prototypes, and (2) examine the failure modes, detachment forces, traction force distributions and ductility under controlled external factors. The scaling up effect will be studied by examining the performance of the prototypes at different length scales. Investigation will also be conducted to examine the adhesion on different types of substrates, i.e., rock and soil. The optimised designs will be achieved via verified parameter studies, which can act as the guidance for engineering designs. Assessment in terms of likely cost and technical effectiveness will also be conducted based on the optimised designs.

海洋贻贝可以通过粘性斑块将自身固定在各种潮湿表面上，从而在潮间带恶劣的海洋环境中生存。最近的研究进展强调，除了粘附位点上基于蛋白质的化学相互作用之外，贻贝斑块独特的粘附结构也发挥着重要作用。受这种自然现象的启发，该提案旨在建立关于基于贻贝斑块的锚固系统在海上浮动结构应用中的水下粘附行为的知识。现有的深水锚固系统，如钻孔桩、吸力锚和重力锚锚可能会受到成本、海底条件和安装方面的各种限制；并对当地海洋环境造成重大影响。此外，在退役阶段拆除这些锚定系统可能很困难且昂贵。相比之下，板状锚固系统可能具有以下突破性特征：（a）锚固系统的粘附力可以根据需要打开和关闭，这可能会导致设计、施工、 (b) 通过使用先进的复合材料，锚固系统可以应用于各种海底条件，即岩石表面和土壤表面，对当地海洋的影响最小环境（即无钻孔或需要在海底挖掘），并且（c）制造和安装过程可以更加简化，从而产生具有成本效益的解决方案。拟议的研究有可能对涉及海上浮动结构的各种应用产生重大影响，例如海上浮动风力涡轮机 (OFWT) 系统、海上石油钻井平台、潮汐流涡轮机系统和海底基础设施。在这些应用中，值得注意的是，海上可再生能源行业和最近的政府战略强调了开发新型 OFWT 系统的需求——英国政府已承诺到 2030 年实现 1 吉瓦的浮动风电。该研究将建立受贻贝斑块启发的锚定系统的实验室规模原型。结合实验技术、粘附理论和数值建模方法，我们将（1）评估原型的性能，（2）检查受控外部因素下的失效模式、脱离力、牵引力分布和延展性。将通过检查原型在不同长度尺度上的性能来研究放大效应。还将进行调查以检查不同类型基材（即岩石和土壤）的粘附力。优化设计将通过经过验证的参数研究来实现，这可以作为工程设计的指导。还将根据优化设计对可能的成本和技术有效性进行评估。