An investigation of lift forces acting on gravity base foundations is presented, utilizing the CFD based Virtual Free Surface (VFS) reduced modeling technique. The paper raises awareness of the significant vertical loads that may ensue when currents and waves are subjected to a bluff body. An efficient solution to this design challenge is proposed and analyzed, by introducing an under-body diffuser. The structure is tested and analyzed for various wave and current load cases. Finally, an extensive surrogate based optimization of the structure is carried out in order to find the most suitable diffuser configuration.     «

An investigation of lift forces acting on gravity base foundations is presented, utilizing the CFD based Virtual Free Surface (VFS) reduced modeling technique. The paper raises awareness of the significant vertical loads that may ensue when currents and waves are subjected to a bluff body. An efficient solution to this design challenge is proposed and analyzed, by introducing an under-body diffuser. The structure is tested and analyzed for various wave and current load cases. Finally, an extensi...     »