A Nonlinear Dynamic Substructuring Approach to Global Dynamics of Flexible Riser Systems

Standard riser global dynamic analysis software packages utilize line element models that cannot capture the complex behavior of flexible risers. This paper presents a computationally efficient nonlinear dynamic analysis methodology capable of incorporating detailed finite element models and scalable to global dynamic simulations of entire flexible riser systems. Subject methodology captures the global geometric nonlinear effects and its coupling to stick-slip friction — a clear requirement for accurate armour stress predictions. In addition, the method enables the formulation of stress transformation matrices which allow the direct recovery of armour stresses from the global simulations. A demonstration problem involving the nonlinear dynamic simulation of a 500m flexible riser system is presented.