Determining the Structural Frame Damage Mechanisms of Deep-Sea Manned Submersibles

Ding, Z.; Zhang, Y.; Wang, Y., and Zhao, Q., 2022. Determining the structural frame damage mechanisms of deep-sea manned submersibles. Journal of Coastal Research, 38(1), 77-85. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Deployment and recovery data describing the service life of the Jiaolong-manned submersible and its structural frame damage inspection records suggest that the damage sustained by the structural frame could be related to wave loads when the manned submersible is recovered in rough seas. The computational fluid dynamics simulation was used to calculate the wave loads acting on the manned submersible in this article, and the results were used as inputs for a finite element analysis of the structural frame to evaluate the stress in and displacement of the structural frame during manned submersible recovery in rough seas. The results of this analysis indicated that some of the nodes in the structural frame experienced stresses considerably in excess of the permitted limits and approached the yield strength of the material, representing a severe threat to the safety of the Jiaolong-manned submersible when recovered in rough seas.