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An estimation of internal soliton forces on a pile in the ocean

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Abstract

Internal soliton forces on oil-platform piles in the ocean are estimated with the Morison Formula. Different from surface wave forces, which change only in magnitude along a pile, internal soliton forces can be distributed over the entire pile in the water and they change not only in magnitude but also in direction with depth. Our calculations show that the maximum total force caused by a soliton with its associated current of 2.1 m s−1 is nearly equal to the maximum total force exerted by a surface wave with a wavelength of 300 m and a wave-height of 18m. The total internal soliton force is large enough to affect the operations of marine oil platforms and other facilities. Therefore, the influence of internal solitons should not be neglected in the design of oil platforms.

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Correspondence to Du Tao.

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Du, T., Sun, L., Zhang, Y. et al. An estimation of internal soliton forces on a pile in the ocean. J Ocean Univ. China 6, 101–106 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-007-0101-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-007-0101-y

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