A Proposed Rational Approach to Design of Fenders and Supporting Structures in the US

In the fender design process, safety factors can be applied at several levels, starting with selection of berthing velocities for fender selection, manufacturer’s tolerance in performance data, factors to account for abnormal berthing scenarios, to use of load factors in design of the supporting structures. It is important that all these factors are considered together as a whole to ensure both that enough residual capacity is built into the system, but also to avoid designs that are overly conservative. This paper will examine the reliability concepts and equations presented in ASCE 7 necessary to arrive at a proper combination of fender capacities, loads, and load factors for use in selection of fenders and design of the supporting structures in the U.S.

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