Ships and Offshore Structures

ISSN: 1744-5302 (Print) 1754-212X (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tsos20

Dynamic analysis of submarine cable during the

process of laying back to the seabed

Dapeng Zhang, Yong Bai, Wangqi Zhao & Keqiang Zhu

To cite this article: Dapeng Zhang, Yong Bai, Wangqi Zhao & Keqiang Zhu (2019): Dynamic
analysis of submarine cable during the process of laying back to the seabed, Ships and Offshore
Structures, DOI: 10.1080/17445302.2019.1595923

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/17445302.2019.1595923

Published online: 20 Mar 2019.

Submit your article to this journal

Article views: 19

View Crossmark data

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=tsos20
SHIPS AND OFFSHORE STRUCTURES
https://doi.org/10.1080/17445302.2019.1595923

Dynamic analysis of submarine cable during the process of laying back to the seabed
a
Dapeng Zhang , Yong Baia, Wangqi Zhaob and Keqiang Zhub
a
College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; bFaculty of Maritime and Transportation,
Ningbo University, Ningbo, People’s Republic of China

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

In the actual process of the submarine cable laying, there are problems of excessive cost and long time Received 8 July 2018
spent on the project. Therefore, it is necessary to predict the process to improve the safety and Accepted 10 March 2019
economic performance of the project. Based on the lumped mass method, the submarine cable is
KEYWORDS
discretized into a lumped mass model. In consideration of the specific parameters of a certain Submarine cable; laying;
submarine cable, combined with the specific process of laying back to the seabed, by necessary lumped mass method;
simplification, the equivalent finite element simulation model for the dynamic analysis of submarine dynamic analysis
cable during the process of laying back to the seabed has been established. The results of the
theoretical analysis and the finite element simulation are compared and analyzed, and the correctness
of the simulation model is verified. The effects of different hanging length, accelerations and velocities
of the engineering vessel at different stages on the safety of the submarine cable are discussed. With
the basis of the maximum effective tension and the minimum bending radius of the cable, some
results have been given, which are useful for the submarine cable laying. The conclusion has certain
guiding significance in the practical engineering.

1. Introduction
Submarine cables are used for power transmission between
various offshore platforms. When the submarine cables are
laid in rough sea conditions for a long time, some damage
and breakage may occur to the submarine cables, which
will result in the interruption of signal and power trans-
mission between offshore platforms. Then the submarine
cable needs to be repaired. ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle)
is usually used to cut the submarine cable off and pull it out
of the water. After the maintenance, the submarine cables
need to be re-laid back to the seabed, in which the submarine
cables will be subjected to various loads, which may result in
secondary breakage or damage to the submarine cable.
Therefore, it is essential to carry out the dynamic analysis
of submarine cable during the process of laying back to the
seabed to improve the security.
Some researches on submarine pipelines laying have been
made by domestic and foreign scholars. Andreuzzi and Maier
(1981) made a simplified analysis and design of abandonment
and of offshore pipelines to meet the requirements from the
engineering standpoint and the structural mechanics. Then
an analytical/graphical approach for the abandonment and
recovery operation of submarine cables was given by Datta
(1982), in which the finite difference method was adopted.
With the consideration of interaction of vessel motions and
pipeline dynamic stresses, based on large deflection beam the-
ory, a comprehensive dynamic analysis of pipelines was made
by Clauss et al. (1992). Lenord and Karnoski (1990) proposed
an algorithm for calculating the submarine cable motion in
the condition of constant speed of the construction vessel. To
solve the two dimensional problem of the transient behaviour
of marine cables being laid, Patel and Vaz (1995) applied the
numerical model of the submarine cable’s short time behaviour
to the elastic extension in practical engineering. Then Vaz et al
(1997) presented a numerical solution for the three dimen-
sional transient motion of a marine cable, in which the cable
transient behaviour was governed by the numerical solution
of a set of non-linear partial differential equations with the sol-
ution methodology incorporating both spatial and temporal
integration. Prpíc-Ořsíc and Nabergoj (2005) made a related
study of the interaction between the submarine cable and con-
struction vessel by nonlinear differential equations with the
Runge–Kutta method, in which the extension of the general
two dimensional formulation of cable dynamics was presented
by accounting for the effects of wave excitation, cable/ship
interaction and cable elasticity. A two-dimensional submarine
cable differential equation and numerical algorithm was pro-
posed by Han (2011). Reda et al. (2016a) showed the process
for the simulation of the calculated cable laying tension and
bending radius in OrcaFlex. Then the simulation models in
OrcaFlex and compression test for compression limit state of
HVAC submarine cables were made by Reda et al. (2016b).
Based on the lumped mass method, an overall response of
umbilical cable under interference with riser was made by Bai
et al. (2018).
Compared with the previous research, a new algorithm for
the dynamic response of the submarine cable during the pro-
cess of laying back to the seabed with the consideration of vessel
motion in theory is derived in this paper, in which the effects of
the accelerations of construction vessel and the effects of differ-
ent hanging lengths of the winches can be included. It is more
concise and quicker than the conventional algorithms. In other
words, the dynamic response of the process in different stages

CONTACT Dapeng Zhang 1214265737@qq.com College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, People’s Republic of China
© 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
2 D. ZHANG ET AL.

on both ends of the element. The drag force and lift force gen-
erated by the currents can be derived from the relevant knowl-
edge of hydrodynamics.

rs 2 r
D = CD U A, L = CL s U 2 A (1)
2 2

Where
CD is the drag coefficient, CL is the lift coefficient, ρs is the sea
water density, U is the ocean current velocity, A is the projected
area of the cable that is normal to the direction of the ocean
current velocity.
According to Newton’s second law and Figure 2, the equili-
brium equations of the microelement in the directions of Z and
W can be obtained.
Figure 1. The three-dimensional coordinate system of the submarine cable in In W direction:
actual engineering.
∂2 w
Tn+1 cos w − Tn cos w − Dw − Lz = Dsr (2)
can be obtained by the new algorithm. The effects of different ∂t 2
accelerations of the construction vessel on the submarine
cable and the effects of different hanging lengths of the winches In Z direction:
on the submarine cable have been given in this paper, which
have not been mentioned in the previous studies. And the ∂2 z
modelling process in OrcaFlex is shown in detail, which is Tn+1 sin w − Tn sin w + Dz + Lw − r − rs g = Dsr (3)
∂t 2
very useful for the actual practical projects.
Where
2. Theoretical analysis Dw, Dz are the force components of the drag force in Z-axis
and W-axis, respectively; Lw, Lz are the force components of the
The motion model of submarine cable will become more com- lift force in Z-axis and W-axis, respectively. ρ is the linear den-
plex and difficult to solve in the three-dimensional coordinate sity of the submarine cable.
system. Therefore, it is generally transformed into a two-dimen- By simplifying Equation (2), Equation (3) and adding the
sional coordinate system for its analysis and solution. Figure 1 is geometric constraint equations of the cable, the equilibrium
the three-dimensional coordinate system of the submarine cable equation for the laying of the two-dimensional submarine
in actual engineering. Figure 2 is the two-dimensional coordi- cable can be obtained:
nate system of the submarine cable for the analysis.
The element Δs of the cable is typically subjected to the grav- ⎧

2
2
⎪
⎪ ∂ ∂w 1 ∂w ∂z 1 ∂z ∂z ∂2 w
itational force ρgΔs, the buoyancy -ρ0gΔs, the drag force D, the ⎪
⎪ T − C r d − C r d =r 2
⎪
⎪ ∂s ∂s 2
D s
∂t ∂s 2
L s
∂t ∂s ∂t
lift force L generated by the currents, and the tension T acting ⎪
⎪

2
2
⎨
∂ ∂z 1 ∂z ∂w 1 ∂w ∂w
T + CD rs d + CL rs d
⎪
⎪ ∂s ∂s 2 ∂t ∂s 2 ∂t ∂s
⎪
⎪
2
2
⎪
⎪ ∂ z ∂w
2
∂z
⎪
⎪
⎩ −(r − r0 )g = r 2 + =1
∂t ∂s ∂s
(4)

In order to solve the above equations, relevant initial conditions

Figure 2. The two-dimensional coordinate system of the submarine cable.
and boundary conditions are also needed. According to the
actual mathematical and physical significance, the initial con-
dition and boundary condition can be obtained.
It is assumed that W(T ) and T(s, t) are the coordinate values
of the touchdown point of the cable and the tension of the cable
at a certain moment, l(t) is the total length of the cable at a cer-
tain time step. In this paper, the seabed environment is con-
sidered to be a smooth plane rigid seabed, and the
construction vessel is located directly above the fault point of
the cable breakage at the initial time. The cable is in a static
state, the speed is 0, the tension only comes from its own gravity
and buoyancy at the initial time. So the initial conditions can be
 SHIPS AND OFFSHORE STRUCTURES 3

summarised as follows:

w(s, t)|t=0 = 0
z(s, t)|t=0 = s

∂w(s, t)
=0
∂ t=0

∂z(s, t)
=0
∂ t=0 (5)
T(s, t)|t=0 = (r1 − r0 )gs
W(t)|t=0 = 0
⎧
⎨ H + 0.5a0 t 2 0 ≤ t , v/a0
l(t) = v2 v Figure 3. The top view of the process.
⎩H + + v(t − )t ≥ v/a0
2a0 a0
3. The repair procedure of the submarine cable
Where, s is the length of the cable; v is the constant speed of the
construction vessel; a0 is the acceleration of the construction As the fault point is in the depth of 140 m, it is difficult to cut off
vessel; H is the depth of the seabed; ρ and ρ0 are the linear den- and salvage the cable. The construction vessel and underwater
sity of the cable and the equivalent linear density of the sea ROV are used for the repair procedure. ROV is used to remove
water acting on the cable, respectively; w (s, t) and z (s, t) rep- silt, cut off the cable and install lifting clamps around the sub-
resent the cable length in W and Z directions at a specific time, marine cable fault point, then the submarine cable is pulled
respectively. from seawater to the deck of the construction vessel to connect
After the construction vessel has been sailing for some time, the replaced new submarine cable. After the new submarine
the cable has been partially laid. Therefore, the boundary con- cable connection has been made, the submarine cable will be
ditions of the submarine cable in the seabed and sea water can laid on the seabed again. After the submarine cable is laid
be determined by the cable length and tension. The specific back to the seabed again, the final adjustments to the cable lay-
boundary conditions are: out is made by ROVs. As the last step of the whole process, the
stage of laying back to the seabed, not only has very significant
w(s, t)|s≤W(t) = s consequences but also has a certain degree of difficulty. This
article will make a detailed analysis and study on this step.
z(s, t)|s≤W(t) = 0
Figure 3 is the plan view of the process.
T(s, t)|s≤W(t) = f0
⎧
⎨ 0.5a0 t 2 0 ≤ t , v/a0
w(s, t) = v2 v 4. The establishment and comparison of the
⎩ + v(t − )t ≥ v/a0 (6) numerical model
2a0 a0

 The laying of submarine cables has strict requirements for the
 =H
z(s, t) s=l(t)
environmental conditions. Generally, it is usually done in
 sunny and dry weather.
 The depth of the location of the submarine cable laying is
 = f (t)
T(s, t) s=l(t) 140 m. As the wind speed is very small, it can be negligible.
The wave height is 1 m, wave period is 8s, the ocean current vel-
ocity of the sea surface is 1 m/s, and the ocean current velocity
When the two-dimensional coordinates of the submarine cable
of the seabed is 0.9 m/s. The directions of wave and current
are obtained, the laying coordinates in the three-dimensional
are the same, they are all 180 degrees. The water density is
coordinate system can be obtained by the related transform-
1025 kg/m3.
ation.
The simulation model is established in OrcaFlex. Figure 4 is
the plan view of the model in OrcaFlex.
x = w sin a The submarine cable is simulated by Line unit in OrcaFlex
(7)
y = w cos a and the relevant parameters are shown in Table 1. The total
length of the submarine cable is 1800 m. As the length of the
Among them, a is the angle of the original position when the submarine cable is long enough, the anchorage constraints
cable is laid. When the laying vessel accelerates, a changes con- can be used at both ends. In order to ensure the effective contact
tinuously; and when the laying vessel is sailing at a constant between node and node during the process of the cable laying
speed, a remains unchanged at a certain value. back to the mud surface and reflect the motion of the submar-
In the calculation process, higher-order terms can be ine cable as much as possible, the stress sensitive zone is subdi-
omitted to simplify the solution. vided, the 100 m in the middle area is discretized into several
4 D. ZHANG ET AL.
Figure 4. The plan view of the process in OrcaFlex.
Table 1. Mechanical property parameters of the submarine cable.
Numerical
Parameters value Parameters
Linear density 32.42 Bending stiffness /kN·m2
/kg·m−1
Diameter/mm 122.6 Minimum breaking force
/kN
Axial stiffness /kN 587000 Minimum bending radius
/mm
segments of the length of 0.5 m segmentation unit, the remain-
ing length is divided into segments of the length of 1 m segmen-
tation unit. Both ends of the submarine cable are anchored on
the seabed.
The lifting device at the stern in the actual project is replaced
by two Winch and Shape elements in the model. The bottom
ends of the two Winches are connected at the two connection
points with the distance of 885 and 915 m from the top end of
the submarine cable, respectively; and the top ends of the two
Winches are connected with the construction vessel (the con-
nection coordinates on the vessel are (−60 m, 15 m, 13 m),
(−60 m, −15 m, 13 m), respectively). The dynamic analysis
process is realised by the change of the specified length of the
Winches in different simulation stages of time to control the
process of laying back to the seabed, the length of the Winches
at each stage needs to be determined according to the par-
ameters of the equipments on the construction vessel. In the
simulation, in order to make the model easier to converge,
the retracting process of the Winches will be achieved through
13 analysis steps.
The construction vessel is simulated by Vessel unit in Orca-
Flex. The analysis step of Vessel is the same as the analysis step
of Winch, which has 13 analysis steps. The process of laying the
submarine cable back to seabed is divided into 3 stages in the
actual engineering: the construction vessel accelerates during
the first stage; then the construction vessel sails at a constant
speed; the construction vessel begins to slow down in the
final stage, until the speed is reduced to 0 m/s. Therefore, in
the simulation model, all the motion stages of the vessel should
be the same as that of the real construction vessel. To make it
possible, we divide the analysis steps into three parts in the
simulation model: it is the accelerating motion stage of the con-
struction vessel in the first 3 analysis steps; and the constant
Figure 5. Comparison of the laying position between the analytic solution and the
finite element solution.
Numerical
value
speed stage of the construction vessel is in the middle 7 analysis
2.16
steps. In the last 3 analysis steps, the speed of the construction
10068.80 vessel gradually decreases until 0 m/s.
In order to verify the correctness of the model, the analytical
2712
solution of the cable laying position is compared with the finite
element solution in OrcaFlex, just as shown in Figure 6.
It can be seen from Figure 5 that the finite element solution
of the laying position obtained by OrcaFlex is very similar to
the analytical solution. The configurations of both of the curves
show a nearly symmetrical shape on both sides of the middle
bulge. With the observation of Figure 5, it can be found that
the error between the two is less than 10%. Therefore, the simu-
lation can be modelled in OrcaFlex.
It should be pointed out that as the higher-order terms is
omitted in the calculation process, when the speed of the vessel
is very high, the error between finite element solution and
analytical solution will be greatly increased.
And in the analytic solution theory, it is assumed that the
mass difference between the construction vessel and the sub-
marine cable is very large, it means that the influence of sub-
marine cable on construction vessel can be neglected. Thus,
the top motion boundary condition of the submarine cable is
the response of the surface vessel. But if the mass difference
between the construction vessel and the submarine cable is
not large, the top motion boundary condition of the submarine
cable will be very different.
In these two cases, the analytical model should be reconsidered.
5. The calculation results
In order to obtain the influence of different parameters on the
process, some simulation models of different conditions have
been made. In order to evaluate the safety of the submarine
cable in the laying process, the comparative analysis of the
effective tension and bending radius of the submarine cable
under different working conditions have been made.
The maximum effective tension and the minimum bending
radius of the submarine cable in the length direction have been
shown in Figure 6. It can be observed from Figure 6 that during
the laying process, the maximum effective tension and the
 SHIPS AND OFFSHORE STRUCTURES 5

Figure 6. The maximum effective tension and the minimum bending radius of the Figure 7. The configurations of the submarine cable during the laying process
submarine cable in the length direction. with different hanging lengths in the two-dimensional plane.

minimum bending radius of the submarine cable occur at the minimum bending radius of the submarine cable with different
two connection points with the distance of 885 and 915 m hanging lengths have been given in Figure 8. In the 5 hanging
from the top end of the submarine cable, which are the two lengths, the minimum bending radius of the three of the 5
connection points between the submarine cable and the hanging lengths(84, 114, 144 m) is all less than the allowable
winches. It indicates that the distributions of the maximum minimum bending radius 2.712 m of the submarine cable,
effective tension and the minimum bending radius are sym- which does not meet the specification requirements. When
metric in the two connection points. the hanging length is 174 and 204 m respectively, the minimum
bending radius of the submarine cable can meet the specifica-
tion requirements. The maximum effective tension of the sub-
5.1. Effect of different hanging lengths of the winches marine cable of these 5 hanging lengths is all 429.72 kN, which
on the submarine cable can meet the specification requirements. This is because the
maximum effective tension usually occurs at the time point
In order to study the effect of the hanging length of the winches when the construction vessel starts to accelerate, when the
on the submarine cable, we made some simulation models with acceleration is the same, the speed of the construction vessel
different hanging length of the winches when the construction changes in the same amount in the same time, then the effective
vessel is at a certain constant speed, and the hanging length of tension value is also the same.
the winches is taken as 84, 114, 144, 174 and 204 m respect- In the practical projects, the hanging length needs to be
ively. At the same time, the constant speed of the construction selected. The value of the minimum bending radius of the
vessel is 0.5 m/s, and the acceleration of the construction vessel cable shows that when the hanging length is 204 m, it is better
is 0.078 m/s2 in the initial acceleration stage. than when the hanging length is 174 m. However, with the
The configurations of the submarine cable during the laying observation of the configurations of the submarine cable with
process with different hanging lengths in the two-dimensional 174 m hanging length and 204 m hanging length (Figures 9
plane are shown in Figure 7. The maximum effective tension
and the minimum bending radius of the submarine cable
with different hanging lengths in the length direction are
shown in Figure 8. With the observation of Figure 7, it is
found that with the increase of the hanging length, the distance
between the submarine cable and the original laying location
decreases. When the hanging length is 144, 174 and 204 m
respectively, the original laying locations of the three are
roughly the same. The reason for this phenomenon is that:
with the increase of the hanging length of the winches in the
same time steps, the vertical lowering speed of the cable
increases, then the cable will be laid faster, as a result, the dis-
tance between the midpoint of the cable and the original laying
position is also reduced; but when the hanging length is as long
as 144 m, since the speed of the construction vessel itself is rela-
tively small compared to the lowering speed of the submarine
cable, then the cable is laid back to the seabed in advance,
then the submarine cable can not be further laid in the positive Figure 8. The maximum effective tension and the minimum bending radius of the
direction of X axis. The maximum effective tension and the submarine cable with different hanging lengths.
6 D. ZHANG ET AL.

Figure 9. The configuration of the submarine cable with 174 m hanging length. Figure 10. The configuration of the submarine cable with 204 m hanging length.

and 10), it can be found that when the hanging length is 204 m, of the submarine cable is larger than the minimum bending
the whole submarine cable appears to have a serpentine radius required by the specification. The reason for this
configuration in the overall length direction because of the phenomenon is that, as the speed of the construction vessel
fast release of the cable; when the hanging length is 174 m, increases, the offset distance of the submarine cable increases,
only the middle part of the submarine cable and a few locations and the curvature of the connection between the winches and
appear to have serpentine configuration. Although the mini- the submarine cable gradually decreases due to the increase
mum bending radius of the submarine cable is the smallest in the tension of the winches. As the acceleration of the
when the hanging length is 204 m, the serpentine configuration construction vessel in the initial acceleration stage is the
in the overall length direction will lead to an increase in the same, the maximum effective tension of the submarine cable
workload of the calibration of the cable position of the under- with the 5 different constant speeds is the same, which is
water ROV. That will increase the construction time of the pro- 429.72kN.
ject and increase the engineering cost. Therefore, it is the better With the observation of the configurations of the submarine
choice to lay the submarine cable with the hanging length of cable in Figures 13 and 14, it can be found that there is no a
174 m. serpentine configuration in the overall length direction with
the constant speeds of 0.7 and 0.9 m/s; and only the middle
part of the submarine cable and a few locations appear to
5.2. Effect of different constant speeds of the have a certain inevitable small curvature. Then it will only
construction vessel on the submarine cable need a very short time to make the calibration by the under-
water ROV. Therefore, 0.7 and 0.9 m/s are all feasible solutions.
In order to study the effect of different constant speeds of the However, in the practical projects, if the speed of the construc-
construction vessel on the submarine cable, we made some tion vessel is to large, the cable offset distance will be too large,
simulation models with different constant speeds of the con-
struction vessel when the hanging length of the winches is
maintained at 84 m. And the constant speed of the construction
vessel is taken as 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 and 0.9 m/s respectively. And
the acceleration of the construction vessel is 0.078 m/s2 in the
initial acceleration stage.
The configurations of the submarine cable during the laying
process with different constant speeds of the construction vessel
in the two-dimensional plane are shown in Figure 11. The
maximum effective tension and the minimum bending radius
of the submarine cable with different constant speeds of the
construction vessel in the length direction are shown in Figure
12. With the observation of Figure 11, it can be seen that with
the increase of the constant speed of the construction vessel, the
distance between the submarine cable and the original laying
location increases. It can be seen from Figure 12 that with
the increase of the constant speed of the construction vessel,
the minimum bending radius of the submarine cable increases.
And only when the constant speeds of the construction vessel Figure 11. The configurations of the submarine cable during the laying process
are 0.7 and 0.9 m/s respectively, the minimum bending radius with different constant speeds of the construction vessel.

Figure 12. The maximum effective tension and the minimum bending radius of
the submarine cable with different constant speeds of the construction vessel.
then the secondary breakage of the submarine cable will occur,
which should be avoided.
5.3. Effect of different accelerations of the construction
vessel on the submarine cable
In order to study the effect of different accelerations of the con-
struction vessel on the submarine cable, we made some simu-
lation models with different accelerations of the construction
vessel when the hanging length of the winches is maintained
at 84 m. And the accelerations of the construction vessel are
taken as 0.057, 0.067, 0.077, 0.087 and 0.097 m/s2 respectively.
And the constant speed of the construction vessel is 0.5 m/s in
the constant speed stage.
The configurations of the submarine cable during the laying
process with different accelerations of the construction vessel in
the two-dimensional plane are shown in Figure 15. The maxi-
mum effective tension and the minimum bending radius of the
submarine cable with different accelerations of the construction
vessel in the length direction are shown in Figure 16. It can be
Figure 13. The configuration of the submarine cable with the constant speed of
0.7 m/s.
SHIPS AND OFFSHORE STRUCTURES 7
Figure 14. The configuration of the submarine cable with the constant speed of
0.9 m/s.
seen from Figure 15 that with the increase of the acceleration of
the construction vessel, the displacement of the construction
vessel in the acceleration stage increases, then the distance
between the submarine cable and the original laying location
also increases. But since the constant speeds of different accel-
erations are the same when the construction vessel is in the
constant speed stage, it does not cause the problem that the
difference in the offset distances of the submarine cable
under different accelerations of the construction vessel is too
large. It is found in Figure 16 that with the increase of the accel-
eration of the construction vessel, both the maximum effective
tension and the minimum bending radius of the submarine
cable increase. The main reason for this change in the maxi-
mum effective tension is that as the acceleration of the con-
struction vessel increases during the acceleration stage, the
pulling force acting on the submarine cable by the winches
increases, as a result, the maximum effective tension of the sub-
marine cable also increases. The maximum effective tension of
the submarine cable of all the 5 different accelerations can meet
the specification requirements. But only when the accelerations
Figure 15. The configurations of the submarine cable during the laying process
with different accelerations of the construction vessel.
8 D. ZHANG ET AL.
Figure 16. The maximum effective tension and the minimum bending radius of
the submarine cable with different accelerations of the construction vessel.
Figure 17. The configuration of the submarine cable with the acceleration of 0.077
m/s2.
Figure 18. The configuration of the submarine cable with the acceleration of 0.087
m/s2.
are 0.087 and 0.097 m/s2, the minimum bending radius of the
submarine cable can meet the specification requirements.
With the observation of the configurations of the submarine
cable in Figures 17 and 18, it can be found that when the accel-
erations are 0.087 and 0.097 m/s2 respectively, the configur-
ations the submarine cable are almost the same, and there is
no a serpentine configuration in the overall length direction
with the accelerations of 0.087 and 0.097 m/s2; only the middle
part of the submarine cable and a few locations appear to have a
certain inevitable small curvature. Therefore, 0.087 and
0.097 m/s2 are all feasible solutions.
6. Conclusions
When the construction vessel is in the constant speed stage, the
hanging length of the winches will directly affect the laying
location, the laying configuration and the minimum bending
radius of the submarine cable. With the increase of the hanging
length, the distance between the submarine cable and the orig-
inal laying location also increases, that will lead to a serpentine
configuration in the overall length direction and the increase of
the construction time and the engineering cost of the project.
With the increase of the hanging length, the minimum bending
radius decreases and then increases. Therefore, the hanging
length of the winches needs to be selected according to the
actual operating conditions and the mechanical properties of
the submarine cable.
When the construction vessel is in the constant speed stage,
the constant speed has an influence on the laying location and
the minimum bending radius of the submarine cable, but it has
no on influence on the maximum effective tension of the sub-
marine cable. With the increase of the constant speed, the dis-
tance between the submarine cable and the original laying
location increases, the minimum bending radius of the submar-
ine cable also increases. Therefore, in the actual construction,
the constant speed of the construction vessel should not be
too small. In order to avoid the secondary breakage of the sub-
marine cable, the constant speed of the construction vessel also
should be limited in a certain range.
When the construction vessel is in the acceleration stage, the
acceleration has an influence on the laying location, the maxi-
mum effective tension and the minimum bending radius of the
submarine cable. With the increase of the acceleration, the dis-
tance between the submarine cable and the original laying
location increases, the minimum bending radius and the maxi-
mum effective tension of the submarine cable also increase. If
the acceleration of the construction vessel is too large, the maxi-
mum effective tension the submarine cable will be too large.
Therefore, the acceleration of the construction vessel also
should be limited in a certain range.
If the constant speed of the construction vessel is very high
and if the mass difference between the construction vessel and
the submarine cable is not large, the analytical model should be
reconsidered.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors
Dapeng Zhang male, Ph.D. Candidate of Zhejiang University, his research
field is Underwater Towed System; Hydrodynamics; Dynamic Response of
vessels and Ocean Engineering Structures.
Yong Bai Male, Professor of Zhejiang University.
Wangqi Zhao Male, Master of Ningbo University.
Keqiang Zhu Male, Professor of Ningbo University.
ORCID
Dapeng Zhang http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9525-5553
References
Andreuzzi F, Maier G. 1981. Simplified analysis and design of abandonment
and recovery of offshore pipelines. Ocean Manag. 7(1–4):211–230.
Bai Y, Zhang D, Zhu K, Zhang T. 2018. Dynamic analysis of umbilical
cable under interference with riser. Ves Offshore Struc. 13(8):809–821.
SHIPS AND OFFSHORE STRUCTURES 9
Clauss GF, Weede H, Riekert T. 1992. Offshore pipe laying operations—
interaction of vessel motions and pipeline dynamic stresses. Appl
Ocean Res. 14(3):175–190.
Datta TK. 1982. Abandonment and recovery solution of submarine pipe-
lines. Appl Ocean Res. 4(4):247–252.
Han H. 2011. Dynamic simulation research of undersea cable track.
Chinese J Eng Geophys. 8(3):377–380.
Leonard JW, Karnoski SR. 1990. Simulation of tension controlled deploy-
ment. Appl Ocean Res. 12:34–42.
Patel MH, Vaz MA. 1995. The transient behavior of marine cables being
laid-the two dimensional promblem. Appl Ocean Res. 17:245–258.
Prpić-Oršić J, Radoslav N. 2005. Nonlinear dynamics of an elastic cable
during laying operations in rough sea. Appl Ocean Res. 27:255–264.
Reda AM, Al-Yafei AMS, Howard IM, Forbes GL, McKee KK. 2016a.
Simulated in-line deployment of offshore rigid field joint–A testing con-
cept. Ocean Eng. 112:153–172.
Reda AM, Forbes GL, Al-Mahmoud F, Howard IM, McKee KK, Sultan IA.
2016b. Compression limit state of HVAC submarine cables. Appl
Ocean Res. 56:12–34.
Vaz MA, Witz JA, Patel MH. 1997. Three dimensional transient analysis of
the installation of marine cables. Acta Mech. 124(1–4):1–26.