A Simple Time Domain Structural Redundancy Analysis Procedure for Semi-Submersibles

Author(s):  
Partha Chakrabarti ◽  
Manoj K. Maiti

Offshore design codes like ABS and IMO require some level of redundancy in semi-submersible drilling vessels to withstand the loss of a slender bracing member without overall collapse of the structure, similar to fixed structures. Wave induced dynamic forces on semi-submersibles include hydrodynamic forces on ‘large body’, and inertia forces due to rigid body motions in six degrees of freedom. The amplitudes and phases of each component of the motion are important in defining the total force. Therefore, unlike static ‘pushover’ type analysis used in a relatively dynamically insensitive fixed jacket structure, semi-submersibles require nonlinear dynamic redundancy analysis in the time domain to determine the safety against collapse due to environmental loading. A simple time domain nonlinear analysis procedure is suggested in this study to capture the realistic behavior of the structure under wave loading. Dynamic loads are generated from hydrodynamic analysis of the floating body using a diffraction-radiation analysis program which assumes that the wave excitation is harmonic and so is the response. These loads are transferred to the structural analysis model. Each wave frequency is analyzed to produce a pair of loading conditions — ‘in-phase’ and ‘out of phase’. Combining these two components, a time history of the wave loading is created. In nonlinear structural analysis, first static loads are applied. Then wave load time history is applied for a few wave cycles in small increments. Results show that nonlinear analysis for one single cycle or two can usually predict the safety against collapse. If the analysis continues for a cycle or two, the structure passes the redundancy test. If it does not, the structure has a deficiency that needs to be addressed.

Author(s):  
X. M. Wang ◽  
C. G. Koh ◽  
T. N. Thanh ◽  
J. Zhang

For the purpose of structural health monitoring (SHM), it is beneficial to develop a robust and accurate numerical strategy so as to identify key parameters of offshore structures. In this regard, it is difficult to use time-domain methods as the time history of wave load is not available unless output-only methods can be developed. Alternatively, spectral analysis widely used in offshore engineering to predict structural responses due to random wave conditions can be used. Thus the power spectral density (PSD) of structural response may be more appropriate than time history of structural responses in defining the objective (fitness) function for system identification of offshore structures. By minimizing PSD differences between measurements and simulations, the proposed numerical strategy is completely carried out in frequency domain, which can avoid inherent problems rising from random phase angles and unknown initial conditions in time domain. A jack-up platform is studied in the numerical study. A search space reduction method (SSRM) incorporating the use of genetic algorithms (GA) as well as a substructure approach are adopted to improve the accuracy and efficiency of identification. As a result, the stiffness parameters of jack-up legs can be well identified even under fairly noisy conditions.


Author(s):  
Christina D. Nordstrom ◽  
Peter B. Lacey ◽  
Bob Grant ◽  
Derek D. Hee

To achieve confidence in continuous 20+ year FPSO service without fatigue cracks leading to costly repair offshore or in dry-dock, ExxonMobil has developed a prescriptive Fatigue Methodology Specification (FMS, ref. 5) for new-build FPSOs. An important FMS requirement for turret-moored FPSOs is to determine relative wave headings in non-collinear wind, current and wave environments using a first-principles approach. Based on initial review with FPSO designers, this FMS requirement may pose a significant challenge because appropriately defined met-ocean criteria and efficient analytical design tools are not readily available. To date, FPSO designers typically account for weather-vaning in non-collinear environments by assuming a distribution of relative wave headings based on experience. For example, one assumption is to use 0 degrees (head seas) for 70% of the time and within ±30 degrees off the bow for the remaining 30%. In certain environments, this assumption can lead to a non-conservative fatigue design for hull structural details that are sensitive to beam seas, and an overly conservative fatigue design for details sensitive to head seas. ExxonMobil contracted Moffat & Nichol to develop a time-domain procedure to predict mean FPSO headings by considering wave, wind and current induced loads on the FPSO hull and topsides throughout the FPSO’s 20+ year operational life. A key element of this methodology is a directional representation of met-ocean data, including waves, winds and currents for every 3- or 6-hour sea-state. We have implemented our heading analysis procedure in robust software, which includes processing of the 20+ year met-ocean data in the time domain. Once the FPSO heading time history is known, fatigue lives at critical structural connections are predicted using the spectral fatigue method prescribed in the FMS. To demonstrate the heading methodology and assess its efficiency for project use, an example analysis was performed for an FPSO at a specific geographic location, where relatively strong currents exist. Comparison of predicted FPSO headings and fatigue lives with those using the existing industry practices confirmed the need for a first principles based heading methodology for FPSO fatigue design. The heading and fatigue analysis procedure described here can lead to more accurate, robust fatigue designs for FPSOs in non-collinear environments.


Author(s):  
Johyun Kyoung ◽  
Sagar Samaria ◽  
Jang Whan Kim ◽  
Brian Duffy

Abstract Performing the structural analysis and its integrity evaluation is the ultimate goal of design. However, design value estimation based on load-based analysis is still used as a conventional procedure in the offshore industry. The conventional method can be overly conservative and unrealistic with inconsistent load conditions since external loads such as mooring/riser and higher order hull response is inconsistently considered based on simplified linear assumptions. To assess the reliable integrity of a floating offshore platform, the response-based analysis has been successfully applied. This paper presents a response-based time domain structural analysis of a floating offshore platform. Direct time domain structural analysis is applied by mapping of external environment loads on the floating platform at every instantaneous time interval. Accordingly, correct phase relationship between the various external loads and hull motion including nonlinear effects can be considered. For computational efficiency, present study uses a set of load components based on an efficiently selected basis function for hull motion and environment loadings. The stress time history is obtained directly by synthesizing the load components, and hence an actual time-domain structural response can be captured effectively. Thus, same structural analysis results can be used to evaluate both strength and fatigue criterion for a floating offshore structure. Present analysis method is successfully applied to the evaluation of extreme global strength for a conventional semisubmersible platform. Present time domain analysis result on the structure response is compared with conventional load-based analysis result.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 3425
Author(s):  
Marco Zucca ◽  
Nicola Longarini ◽  
Marco Simoncelli ◽  
Aly Mousaad Aly

The paper presents a proposed framework to optimize the tuned mass damper (TMD) design, useful for seismic improvement of slender masonry structures. A historical masonry chimney located in northern Italy was considered to illustrate the proposed TMD design procedure and to evaluate the seismic performance of the system. The optimization process was subdivided into two fundamental phases. In the first phase, the main TMD parameters were defined starting from the dynamic behavior of the chimney by finite element modeling (FEM). A series of linear time-history analyses were carried out to point out the structural improvements in terms of top displacement, base shear, and bending moment. In the second phase, masonry's nonlinear behavior was considered, and a fiber model of the chimney was implemented. Pushover analyses were performed to obtain the capacity curve of the structure and to evaluate the performance of the TMD. The results of the linear and nonlinear analysis reveal the effectiveness of the proposed TMD design procedure for slender masonry structures.


Author(s):  
K. Bellendir ◽  
Hans A. Eschenauer

Abstract A well-aimed layout of fibre-reinforced lightweight rollers does not only require an efficient structural analysis procedure but also the application of structural optimization methods. Therefore, an analytical procedure is introduced for the calculation of the static behaviour of cylindrical shells subject to axisymmetric and/or nonaxisymmetric loads. In the scope of this procedure, arbitrary, unsymmetrical laminates as well as various boundary conditions will be considered. Basis is the shell theory by Flügge enhanced by anisotropic constitutive equations (material law) in the scope of the classical laminate theory. By means of mathematical optimization procedures we then determine optimal lightweight rollers, using different design and evaluation models. For that purpose, coated and uncoated roller constructions as well as hybrid types made of CFRP/GFRP will be applied. Concluding, we will discuss possible improvements and advantages of anisotropic lightweight rollers in contrast to isotropic ones made of steel or aluminium.


2013 ◽  
Vol 423-426 ◽  
pp. 1238-1242
Author(s):  
Hao Wang ◽  
Xiao Mei Shi

The input of road roughness, which affects the ride comfort and the handling stability of vehicle, is the main excitation for the running vehicle. The time history of the road roughness was researched with the random phases, based on the stationary power spectrum density of the road roughness determined by the standards. Through the inverse Fourier transform, the random phases can be used to get the road roughness in time domain, together with the amplitude. Then, the time domain simulation of the non-stationary random excitation when the vehicle ran at the changing speed, would also be studied based on the random phases. It is proved that the random road excitation for the vehicle with the changing speed is stationary modulated evolution random excitation, and its power spectrum density is the stationary modulated evolutionary power spectrum density. And the numerical results for the time history of the non-stationary random inputs were also provided. The time history of the non-stationary random road can be used to evaluate the ride comfort of the vehicle which is running at the changing speed.


2012 ◽  
Vol 234 ◽  
pp. 96-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donato Cancellara ◽  
Fabio de Angelis

In the present work we have analyzed a particular base isolation system for the seismic protection of a multi-storey reinforced concrete (RC) building. The viscous dampers and friction sliders are the devices adopted in parallel for realizing the base isolation system. The base isolation structure has been designed and verified according to European seismic code EC8 and by considering for the friction sliders the influence of the sliding velocity on the value of the friction coefficient. A dynamic nonlinear analysis for a three-dimensional base isolated structure has been performed. Recorded accelerograms for bi-directional ground motions have been used which comply with the requirements imposed by EC8 for the representation of a seismic action in a time history analysis. In this paper a comparative analysis is presented between the base isolated structure with the described hybrid base isolation system and the traditional fixed base structure.


2010 ◽  
Vol 156-157 ◽  
pp. 467-472
Author(s):  
Peng Tao Yu ◽  
Jing Jiang Sun

Under the excitation of large earthquake, structures enter into high nonlinear stage. Currently, Opensees, Perform-3d and Canny are used as the most popular nonlinear analysis procedures. The fiber model will be introduced firstly and the nonlinear analysis models in Canny are explained in detail. Then Canny2007 is used to conduct nonlinear time history analysis on a heavily damaged frame structure with interlayer in Dujiangyan during Wenchuan Earthquake. Analysis shows that the maximum inter-story drift appears between the interlayer and its upper layer, and the heavy damage agrees well with the results of damage investigation. By comparing the damage extent of frame structures with or without interlayer, it reveals that the seismic performance of RC frame structures without interlayer is obviously better than that of ones with interlayer.


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