Current Model Analysis of South China Sea Based on Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) Decomposition and Prototype Monitoring Data

Environmental load is the primary factor in the design of offshore engineering structures and ocean current is the principal environmental load that causes underwater structural failure. In computational analysis, the calculation of current load is mainly based on the current profile. The current profile model, which is based on a structural failure criterion, is conducive to decreasing the uncertainty of the current load. In this study, we used prototype monitoring data and the empirical orthogonal function (EOF) method to investigate the current profile in the South China Sea and its correlation with the design of underwater structural strength and the dynamic design of fatigue. The underwater structural strength design takes into account the size of the structure and the service water depth. We propose profiles for the overall and local designs using the inverse first-order reliability method (IFORM). We extracted the characteristic profile current (CPC) of the monitored sea area to solve dynamic design problems such as vortex-induced vibration (VIV). We used random sampling to verify the feasibility of using the EOF method to calculate the CPC from the current data and identified the main problems associated with using the CPC, which deserve close attention in VIV design. Our research conclusions provide direct references for determining current load in this sea area. This analysis method can also be used in the analysis of other sea areas or field variables.