FBs were left unattended after installation, only to dismally fail. Survey 

 after survey reinforces this point and it must not be overlooked. 



On the basis of the case histories, it is apparent that several aspects of 

 the FB designs are still not well understood and demand further research. These 

 topics include: 



(a) Foam flotation systems, inasmuch as no comprehensive tests have 

 been carried out on flotation materials; 



(b) mooring forces, since conventional anchoring systems seem to 

 fail; 



(c) fouling growth weight calculations; 



(d) alternative FTB designs to improve upon the Goodyear FTB's 

 wave suppression capability; 



(e) long-term operational problems experienced by FBs, as opposed 

 to the short-term problems uncovered in this work; and 



(f) theoretical hydrodynamics governing the motion of flexible 

 FBs and their modes of wave suppression. 



21 



