Hydroelasticity of marine structures

Hydroelastic investigation of marine structures is of great concern in recent years due to a continuous increase in size and hence in the flexibility of the structures. Since the early 1970s, the hydroelasticity theories have been employed to investigate the response behavior of ships and other marine structures travelling, freely floating or fixed in waves. In this paper, although it is not aimed to provide a comprehensive review of research in hydroelasticity, a general background of the development of hydroelasticity is provided. This paper also illustrates some of the applications of hydroelasticity theory to ships and other marine structures, with a particular reference to recent and ongoing research studies performed by the authors at the Faculty of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Istanbul Technical University.