In
offshore construction
Offshore construction is the installation of structures and facilities in a marine environment, usually for the production and transmission of electricity, oil, gas and other resources. It is also called maritime engineering.
Construction a ...
, the splash zone is the transition from air to water when lowering heavy burdens into the sea. The overall efforts applied on the
crane change dramatically when the load starts touching water, up to the point where it is completely submerged. Its
buoyancy
Buoyancy (), or upthrust, is an upward force exerted by a fluid that opposes the weight of a partially or fully immersed object. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus the p ...
reduces the static mass that the crane has to support, but contact with the waves creates widely fluctuating dynamic forces.
Simulation of these changing efforts are necessary to correctly dimension cranes and lifting equipment. See for exampl
DNV-RP-H103(Det Norske Veritas recommended practices) for a mention of the piston effect created in the splash zone between two walls.
Offshore engineering
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