Research of the impact of material and flow properties on fluid-structure interaction in cage systems

Abstract

This paper investigates the mechanical behavior of full-scale offshore fish cages under hydrodynamic loads. To simulate different cases, different materials were used in the fish cage and analyzed under different flow velocities. The cage system is studied in two parts: net cage and floating collar. Analyses were performed with the ANSYS Workbench program, which allows the Finite Element Method (FEM) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method to be used together. Firstly, the fish cage was designed, and adjusted for FSI: Fluid (Fluent) analysis. Secondly, mesh structures were created, and hydrodynamic loads acting on the cage elements were calculated. Finally, the hydrodynamic loads were transferred to the mechanical model and applied as a pressure on the geometry. In this study, the equivalent (von Mises) stress, equivalent strain, and total deformation values of cage elements under hydrodynamic loads were investigated. The data obtained from the analyses were presented as figures and tables. As a result, it has been shown that it is appropriate to use all the materials examined for the net cage and the floating collar.