Review of recent developments on the hydroelastic response and gap resonance of multi-body floating structures

The present review paper focuses on the recent developments in the multi-body large floating structures based on theoretical, numerical, and experimental research applications in offshore regions for ocean space utilization. Initially, a brief overview of the modelling approaches of the analytical and numerical methods for multi-body floating systems, along with mathematical formulations, are presented. Further, different connectors between the floating bodies, dynamics, and hydroelastic responses of floating multi-body structures based on the multi-body hydrodynamics theory are provided. Next, the applications of the floating multi-body structures are classified into seven primary types, namely, the floating island, the floating city, the floating airport, the floating bridge, the floating breakwater (FB), the floating aquaculture base, and the floating WEC supported by multi-body floating platform along with recent existing literature. The knowledge gap between the existing and present ones and their limitations are discussed under different models derived from various methodologies associated with different arrangements of floating structures. The gap resonance of the multibody floating structures and their analysis based on different modelling approaches are presented. In conclusion, we provide insights and valuable suggestions for future research advancements and trajectories within this expansive field of wave structure interactions, especially in the floating multi-body structure category, are highlighted. • This paper presents a review on the recent development in the multi-body large floating structures. • The modeling approaches of the analytical and numerical methods for multi-body floating systems are presented. • The applications of floating multi-body structures are categorized in seven types, including floating aquaculture bases. • The knowledge gap between the existing and present ones, along with their limitations, are discussed in detail. • Further, the gap resonance of the multibody floating structures and their analysis are presented.