The Analysis of the Extrapolation Method Used in Typical Structures of Jacket Platforms

Acquiring the hot spot stress (HSS) in dangerous points of the structure (normally the welding seams of the structure) is the foundation of the offshore platform fatigue strength design. Because of the fact that it is very difficult and unpractical to install sensors in the welding seams, the most widely used method of acquiring the HSS currently is extrapolation, a method that obtains the HSS by extrapolating from stress of distant points. In order to figure out the feasibility of the method of extrapolation as well as the best ways to implement extrapolation in real practice, it is important to carry out numerical calculation of welded tubular joints in advance. To study the tubular joints, the finite element method (FEM) is the most widely adopted approach. In previous studies, shell elements are utilized to simulate tubular joints instead of solid elements concerning the difficulty. However, shell element simulation merely simulates the mid-surfaces of the tube walls so that shear stress in the direction of tube thicknesses are ignored, making the calculation of the stress concentration factor (SCF) inaccurate. In this study, the recommended ways of simulating the tubular Y- and T-joints are displayed and then the comparison of calculation results between different weld type, different mesh situations as well as different elements are given in order to bring up advice on numerical calculation for the study of extrapolation. The results of numerical calculation show that the extrapolation results are more accurate when we only consider the change of parameter α (chord length-to-chord radius ratio) and also, it is suggested to do the fitting in the area of 2t-4t away from the welding seam. These suggestions are verified by applying the method of extrapolation to a real jacket platform, which turns out that the fitting degree of extrapolation is very pleasant.