The 4th Industrial Revolution mandates the creation of smarter, more efficient operational systems in maritime logistics and port industries. Specifically, the advent of smart ports and autonomous ships necessitates automatic mooring systems that util...
The 4th Industrial Revolution mandates the creation of smarter, more efficient operational systems in maritime logistics and port industries. Specifically, the advent of smart ports and autonomous ships necessitates automatic mooring systems that utilize AI-based automation and vacuum suction technologies, advancing beyond conventional mooring rope methods to improve mooring process efficiency and worker safety. These systems feature vacuum suction pads with rubber seals to endure external forces like mooring pressures. Developing a high-performance automatic mooring system requires a detailed analysis of vacuum suction pads' design needs and real-scale performance testing. This study scrutinizes the necessary design elements for vacuum suction pads and outlines the evaluation process of their performance via real-scale tests. According to port and fishing port design standards, the mooring forces on the training ship HANBADA under the severest ocean conditions (Beaufort 7) were determined to be 248kN in the sway direction and 17.7kN in the surge direction. The seal's rubber material was selected for its physical robustness and resistance to environmental conditions, opting for a CR55/NR45 blend, and the seal shape was crafted by referencing earlier products to create a real-scale vacuum suction pad. In the real-scale performance test, a dedicated indoor test bed for the suction pad was developed, revealing that welding on the surface led to pressure loss within the pad, thus not achieving the maximal suction force of 200kN. Nevertheless, under all other tested environmental conditions, the pads met the required suction force, proving their effectiveness.