Abstract
Marine renewable energy (MRE) devices (e.g. floating point absorbers) are designed to maximise energy absorption, however the non-linear dynamics of the mooring lines can have a significant impact on the resulting response of the device. A comprehensive design approach is required because the mooring system not only represents a considerable part of the overall capital cost of the device but can also influence the response of the device in both operational and survival modes [1]. This paper reports numerical modelling of mooring lines with the focus on three important aspects: (i) the non-linear and temporal behaviour of synthetic ropes, (ii) geometric mooring line nonlinearities, and (iii) non-linear viscous fluid damping.