ASSESSMENT OF FATIGUE RELIABILITY FOR JACKET-TYPE OFFSHORE PLATFORMS CONSIDERING DYNAMIC BEHAVOIR

peer reviewedIn order to traditionally investigate the strength of marine structures, the structure is subjected to a maximum static load. However, the marine structures are usually suffering environmental forces varying with time. Wave forces are the most important time dependent loading that causes fatigue in structural elements and joints. In this paper different methods base on S-N curve and linear elastic failure mechanics are presented. The governing equations and theories that are used in each method are expressed and the application of each method will be discussed. The two main methods of deterministic analyses are: stressbased approach (S-N curve approach) and linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) approaches. These approaches are applicable to different analyzing strategies, ie the first approach is used for cases in which general form of fatigue is dominant, but the latter involves the calculations of reliability as functions of crack geometry and its boundary conditions. The SPD12C jacket platform is also modeled as a case study and the results of fatigue reliability analysis are presented. In this paper a comprehensive method is presented to accurately predict the reliability of offshore platforms. This method is based on S-N curve and the results are compared with the fatigue life of joints. Due to nonlinear interaction of soil and piles and the other affecting parameters such as flexibility of joints, non Gaussian procedure of loading, and nonlinearity of reaction force, the precise analyzing of stress levels will be impossible and a complex numerical analysis could only give limited information about the statistical properties of stress. In order to perform the fatigue analysis and predicting the cycles of stress SACS was used which is known as a powerful software in designing and analyzing offshore structures. In this paper the whole structure was modeled subjected to different forces such as wave and sea currents. The effects of parameters such as marine growth and interaction of soil and piles are also included. The latter is shown to have a significant effect on determination of fatigue life of the platform