Numerical simulation of hydrodynamic characteristics of flexible net cages under the current

In order to investigate the mechanism of deep-sea aquaculture net cages under marine loading and to ensure the structural safety of aquaculture net cages system, it is crucial to carry out the research on the hydrodynamic characteristics of net cages. In this paper, based on the finite element numerical simulation method, we used ABAQUS software for modelling and numerical calculation to analyze the volume change of the flexible net cage under the effect of different flow velocities and different bottom sinker weights. The overall working conditions consider the obstructive effect of the net on the flow velocity, and the calculation results are closer to the actual situation. The results show that: Under the same flow velocity, when the sinker weight increased from 3 N to 6 N, the deformation of the net cage decreased and the effective volume became larger; the larger the sinker weight was, the more stable the cage was; under the same sinker weight, when the flow velocity increased from 0.21 m/s to 0.56 m/s, the deformation of the net cage increased and the effective volume decreased; the smaller the flow velocity, the more stable the cage.