Title: On the structural integrity of damaged columns of semi-submersible platforms

Authors: Marco A. Maddalena; Theodoro A. Netto; Júlio C.R. Cyrino

Addresses: Ocean Engineering Department, COPPE-Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. ' Ocean Engineering Department, COPPE-Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. ' Ocean Engineering Department, COPPE-Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

Abstract: Offshore platforms are usually designed to sustain moderate or severe damages caused, in most cases, by the impact of a supply vessel due to an accidental drift or manoeuvre. As the available design codes do not specifically establish repair procedures for damaged columns, operators have been forced to perform major and costly restoration of the affected areas. In this work, the structural behaviour under compression of intact and damaged cylindrical shells with reinforcements is studied through a series of small-scale experiments and through a non-linear numerical model based on the finite element method. In light of the obtained experimental and numerical results, a very simple and effective repair technique is evaluated.

Keywords: damaged columns; structural integrity; structural repair; semi-submersible platforms; offshore platforms; compression; cylindrical shells; finite element method; FEM; nonlinear simulation; numerical modelling.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCAT.2012.046305

International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology, 2012 Vol.43 No.3, pp.190 - 198

Published online: 03 Apr 2012 *

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