©COMPUTERS AND STRUCTURES, INC.

, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA JUNE 2008

AUTOMATIC WAVE LOADS
TECHNICAL NOTE
WAVE LOAD OVERVIEW

This Technical Note presents a brief overview of the automatic wave loading
features in the program. The automatic wave load calculations in the program
are based on the requirements presented in the American Petroleum Institute
2000 reference (API 2000).

Define Wave Loads

The automatic wave load is a special type of load pattern. It generates loads
on the structure resulting from waves, current flow, buoyancy and wind. The
automatic wave load is defined using the Define menu > Load Patterns
command to open the Define Load Patterns form. In the form the load type is
set to Wave and the Auto Lateral Load is set to something other than None.
After this load has been added to the list, the Modify Lateral Load Pattern
button is used to define the wave loading parameters.

A wave load can be specified to act in any direction. For a given wave direc-
tion, any number of crest positions can be considered in a single load pattern.

Wave velocity and acceleration fields can be automatically generated using

Airy (linear), Stokes or Cnoidal wave theories or, alternatively, they can be
directly input by the user. When using wave theories, the user specifies a
wave height, wave period (as seen by a stationary observer) and a storm wa-
ter depth.

Current velocity and direction, marine growth, drag coefficients and inertia
(mass) coefficients can all be specified as a function of water depth. The cur-
rent direction can differ from the wave direction.

Wind load, acting in any direction, can also be specified as a part of the wave
load. The wind load acts on the portion of the structure that is above the
wave surface.

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Automatic Wave Loads Wave Load Overview

Several wave loading parameters can be overwritten on an object-by-object

basis. The wave parameters are overwritten by selecting the desired objects
and clicking the Assign menu > Frame Loads > Auto Wave Loading Pa-
rameters command.

Refer to “Defining Wave Loads” for more detailed information.

Calculate Wave Load Values

The wave velocity and acceleration fields are user-defined or they are calcu-
lated from the storm water depth, wave height and apparent wave period us-
ing Airy (linear), Stokes, or Cnoidal wave theory. The Airy and Cnoidal theo-
ries are documented in Hallam, Heaf and Wootton 1978. The Stokes theory is
documented in Skjelbreia and Hendrickson 1961.

If the wave load is calculated from theory, the apparent wave period used in
the calculation is determined from the actual wave period and the free-stream
current velocity (not reduced by blockage) in the direction of the wave.

The horizontal components of the wave velocity and acceleration fields are
multiplied by a wave kinematics factor that is intended to account for direc-
tion spreading and irregularity of the wave profile.

Current velocity multiplied times the current blockage factor is vectorially

combined with the wave velocity field that has been adjusted by the wave
kinematics factor.

The wave force acting on the member is calculated using Morison’s equation.
The size of a member (area and volume) used to calculate the wave load
force is based on the section assignment, the specified marine growth and
any overwrite of the section dimension or marine growth. The wave loads are
applied as distributed loads on the portion of the structure that is below the
wave surface and above the mud line.

Buoyant forces are calculated using a rational method. They consist of pro-
jected vertical upward distributed loads acting along all members that are not
vertical and concentrated forces at each end of each frame object that is
submerged.

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Automatic Wave Loads Wave Load Overview

The wave wind load acting on a member is calculated using a specified one-
hour mean wind speed, a shape coefficient (which can be overwritten), the
mass density of air, and the member area. The member area used to calcu-
late the wave wind force is based on the section assignment, the specified
marine growth and any overwrite of the section dimension, marine growth or
ice thickness. If both marine growth and ice thickness are specified at a loca-
tion, only the ice thickness is considered. The wave wind loads are applied as
distributed loads on the portion of the structure that is above the wave sur-
face.

Refer to “Calculation of Wave Load Values” for more detailed information.

View Wave Load Input Data

Numerous tools are provided to review wave load input data.

Wave Plot
While defining the wave load parameters you can display a wave plot using
the current parameters. This plot displays the wave particle velocities, accel-
erations and pressures in many different formats. Contour plots and horizon-
tal and vertical section cut plots through the wave can be displayed. Wave
particle velocities, accelerations and pressures can be shown at the mouse
pointer location. Refer to “Wave Display Plots and Tables” for more detailed
information.

Wave Table
While defining the wave load parameters you can display a wave table using
the current parameters. This table displays the wave particle velocities, accel-
erations and pressures at points throughout the wave. The data shown in this
table is also available in the model definition tables discussed later in this
Technical Note. If you want to copy or print the data in this table, do so from
the model definition tables. Refer to “Wave Display Plots and Tables” for more
detailed information.

On Screen Display of Wave Loads

After the wave load has been defined using the Define menu > Load Pat-
terns command, the resulting generated loads applied to the model can be
displayed on the screen. Click the Display menu > Show Load Assigns >
Frame command to bring up the Show Frame Loads form. Select a load pat-

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Automatic Wave Loads Wave Load Overview

tern that has an automatic wave load assigned to it and select the Span Wave
Loads load type option.

When the wave loads are displayed on the screen, left and right arrow but-
tons appear on the right side of the status bar. Click those arrow buttons to
step through the wave crest positions of the wave load.

A Start Animation button on the right-hand side of the status bar causes the
program to automatically step through the different wave crest positions. The
speed of the animation is controlled by the slide bar to the left of the Start
Animation button.

The wave load forces displayed in this plot are only those automatically gen-
erated by the program. Any additional loads that the user may have assigned
to the same load pattern are not included in this plot. Typically we do not rec-
ommend that you assign other loads to a load pattern that includes automati-
cally generated loads.

Create Videos of Wave Loads

After the wave load has been defined using the Define menu > Load Pat-
terns command, you can create a video of the resulting generated loads ap-
plied to the model. Click the File menu > Create Video > Create Multi-
Step Animation Video command to bring up the Multi-Step Video File Crea-
tion form. Select the Multi-Step Load plot type, select a wave load pattern,
set the other video parameters as desired and click the OK button to create
the video AVI file.

Wave Load Data in Model Definition Tables

Wave load data in the model definition tables can be displayed, printed, inter-
actively edited, exported and imported. Any of the following commands give
you access to the model definition tables.

File menu > Print Tables

Display menu > Show Tables
Edit menu > Interactive Database Editing
File menu > Export > SAP2000 MS Access Database .mdb File
File menu > Export > SAP2000 MS Excel Spreadsheet .xls File
File menu > Export > SAP2000 .s2k Text File
File menu > Import > SAP2000 MS Access Database .mdb File
File menu > Import > SAP2000 MS Excel Spreadsheet .xls File

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Automatic Wave Loads Wave Load Overview

File menu > Import > SAP2000 .s2k Text File

Each of those commands, except the import commands, brings up a form

where you can select the tables to be displayed. The forms have different ti-
tles for the various commands but otherwise look essentially the same. You
can select check boxes to indicate the tables you want printed, displayed or
exported. The check boxes that relate to wave loading are the Auto Wave
Loads check box in the Loads area of the form (on the Definitions tab) and
the Wave Overwrites check box in the Frame/Cable Assigns area of the form
(on the Assignments tab).

Analyze using Wave Loads

When a load pattern containing an automatic wave load is specified in a load
case, the characteristics of the load depend on the type of load case.

Multi-Step Static Load Case

For multi-step static load cases, each step (wave crest position) of the wave
load corresponds to a step in the multi-step static load case.

Time History Load Case

For modal and direct time history cases, the wave load is applied as a se-
quential series of overlapping triangular pulse loads. Each pulse load corre-
sponds to a step (wave crest position) of the wave load. The duration of each
half-pulse load is equal to the apparent wave period (as seen by an observer
moving with the current, if any) divided by the number of wave crest posi-
tions specified for the wave load.
Step Step Step
The maximum value of pulse load n is equal to n-1 n n+1
the full wave load value calculated for step n
(wave crest position n). Pulse load n starts
from zero at the time pulse load n-1 is at a
maximum and returns to zero at a time that
pulse load n+1 is at a maximum. The figure
to the right shows pulses associated with steps
n-1, n and n+1.

For time history load cases with wave loads, the function specified for the
load case is ignored by the program.

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Automatic Wave Loads Wave Load Overview

Ritz-Type Modal Load Case

If a wave load is specified as a load for a ritz-type modal load case, loads
(starting vectors) are created for each step (crest position) of the wave load.

Other Load Cases

For load cases that are not modal (ritz), multi-step static or time history load
cases, only the first step (wave crest position) of the wave load is considered,
even if multiple steps are specified.

Viewing Wave Load Analysis Output Data

Wave load analysis output is viewed in the same ways as all other analysis
output in the program.

References
American Petroleum Institute (API). 2000. Recommended Practice for Plan-
ning, Designing, and Constructing Fixed Offshore Platforms – Working
Stress Design; API Recommended Practice 2A-WSD (RP 2A-WSD).
Twenty-First Edition. December.
Hallam M.G., N.J. Heaf, and L.R. Wootton. 1978. Dynamics of Marine Struc-
tures: Methods of calculating the dynamic response of fixed structures
subject to wave and current action, Report UR 8, Second Edition.
CIRIA Underwater Engineering Group. London. October.
Skjelbreia, L., and J. Hendrickson. 1961. Fifth Order Gravity Wave Theory.
Seventh Conference on Coastal Engineering. ASCE Vol. 1, Chapter 10.

References Page 6 of 6