Structural behavior and design of high-strength steel welded tubular connections under extreme loading

The present work is motivated by the increasing need for cost-efficient solutions in offshore structural systems for wind energy production and for improvement of their structural performance. The structural behavior and design of high-strength steel welded tubular connections (yield strength higher than 700 MPa) subjected to monotonic and strong cyclic loading is investigated. In the first part of the paper, an experimental investigation is presented on high-strength steel tubular X-joints subjected to monotonic and cyclic loading far beyond the elastic limit of the material, leading to weld fracture. Two grades of weld metal material are employed in the welding process of the specimens. The experimental results indicate that the weld material grade has a significant influence on the deformation capacity of the welded connection under monotonic loading conditions, and its low-cycle fatigue life. The experimental procedure is simulated using advanced finite element models, elucidating several features of joint behavior and complementing the experimental results. Overall, a good agreement is found between numerical simulations and experimental results, in terms of both global response and local strains at the vicinity of the welds. Furthermore, the structural performance of the welded tubular joints under consideration is assessed using available design methodologies in terms of both ultimate strength and low-cycle fatigue resistance, in an attempt to validate an efficient design methodology for low-cycle fatigue. The results from this research effort are aimed at developing the necessary background for the possible use of high-strength steel in tubular steel lattice structures, particularly in offshore platforms for renewable energy production. They can also be used as a basis for the possible amendment of relevant design specifications and recommendations for including special provisions for high-strength steel structural systems.     

Fatigue life prediction of welded stiffened 350WT steel plates

The propagation of fatigue cracks under constant amplitude cyclic loading was studied in welded stiffened steel plates. The residual stresses in the stiffened plates were measured using the neutron diffraction strain-scanning technique. A finite element model of the stiffened plate was constructed to simulate the residual stresses by an uncoupled thermal and thermo-mechanical analysis. Both the finite element model and the neutron diffraction measurements indicated that in general the residual stresses were tensile near the welded stiffeners and compressive between the stiffeners and ahead of the starter notch tip. Fatigue testing indicated that the fatigue crack growth rates of the stiffened plates were in general lower than that of a corresponding unstiffened plate, especially near the notch tip where compressive residual stresses existed. Both the finite element method and Green's function predicted the fatigue crack growth rates with reasonable accuracy.     

轴力作用下X型焊接管节点热点应力的分布规律

海洋平台中的焊接管节点的疲劳寿命是由热点应力的大小和分布决定。热点应力的大小决定了管节点在疲劳失效前所能承受的循环荷载的次数,而热点应力的位置则决定了疲劳裂纹的萌生位置和扩展方式。文中采用有限元方法分析了承受轴向拉力作用的X型焊接管节点在焊缝周围的热点应力的分布情况,通过对112个X节点进行的模型分析,研究了节点几何参数对热点应力大小和分布规律的影响。     

Comparison of different structural stress approaches for fatigue assessment of welded ship structures

The structural stress approach, which considers the stress increase due to the structural configuration, allows the fatigue strength assessment of welded ship structures with various geometries on the basis of an S–N curve depending only on the type of weld. However, a unique definition and the numerical calculation of the structural stresses are problematic, which has resulted in the development of different variants of the approach. These are discussed and compared with each other in the present paper. The application to three examples shows the variation and differences in the analysed stresses and predicted fatigue lives, which are compared with those derived from fatigue tests.     

Fatigue reliability—measured response of the heidrun TLP tethers

One of the most important uncertainties associated with fatigue damage of TLP tethers is the uncertainty related to fatigue loading. Higher–order load effects are important and such effects are very complicated to determine numerically. The Heidrun TLP was installed in the summer of 1995 and for this platform the forces in the top of the tethers are measured during the operational phase. In this paper the results of these measurements are discussed and compared with numerical calculations. It is shown how the measurements of fatigue loading can be used to improve the fatigue reliability and reduce the need for in-service inspections.     

大型开敞式深水码头导管架结构管节点的疲劳分析

结合大连新港新建30万吨级(兼靠45万t)进口原油码头工程,以导管架结构为研究对象,阐述该结构管节点的疲劳计算方法,并计算开敞式码头导管架结构中管节点的疲劳寿命.结果表明管节点的疲劳寿命满足相应规范的要求,可为实际工程设计提供参考.     

Crack growth direction effects on corrosion-fatigue behaviour of offshore wind turbine steel weldments

In this study corrosion-fatigue tests have been conducted on fracture mechanics specimens extracted from an S355 G10+M structural steel welded plate. The tests have been performed on compact tension specimens with the crack tip located in the heat affected zone. The corrosion-fatigue test results from this study have been compared with the data available on the base metal as well as air tests on the same material. Moreover, the obtained results have been compared with the corrosion-fatigue data available in the literature on a wide range of steels and also the fatigue trends for welded joints in free-corrosion condition recommended in the BS7910 Standard. The effect of the specimen orientation, with respect to the weld region, is also examined in this study and it has been found that higher corrosion-fatigue crack growth rates are generally observed in the tests with 0° orientation. The results have also shown that the corrosive environment has significant effects on the fatigue crack growth acceleration at the beginning of the tests; however, as the crack propagates, the environmental damage effect on crack growth behaviour becomes less pronounced. The results presented in this study are discussed in terms of improvement in the structural integrity assessment of offshore wind turbine monopiles.     

一种新的海洋平台管节点应力评估方法

海洋工程焊接管节点受应力集中及复杂随机载荷的联合作用,容易发生疲劳破坏。为了提高焊接管节点结构疲劳寿命预测的准确性,文章以管壁厚方向上的一点作为疲劳评估点,提出了一种新的管节点结构应力计算方法。通过与国际上公开发表的疲劳试验数据进行比较,证明了文中方法应用于管节点结构的可行性及考虑壁厚方向应力梯度的有效性。基于数值计算,文中还提出了可用于T型管节点应力集中系数计算的参数公式,并对参数公式的精度进行了验证。     

半潜式平台关键结构选取及疲劳寿命计算

以南海某半潜式平台为研究对象,基于SESAM软件建立有限元模型,计算平台整体结构强度,筛选应力集中区域作为疲劳计算的关键区域。选取截面特征载荷,计算剖面载荷处的运动响应和长期预报幅值。在GeniE模块中,用SET分组的形式建立局部模型代替Submod模块使用的子模型计算,并对关键区域细化网格。在Stofat模块中计算节点处的疲劳损伤,根据S-N曲线计算疲劳寿命。结果表明,在平台关键区域1和区域2的节点疲劳损伤较大、寿命较短。因此,在半潜式平台服役期间,需要对关键结构部位进行定期检修和维护,以保证平台可正常运营。     

不同强度匹配10CrNi3MoV船体钢焊接结构的安全评定

为了研究不同强度匹配对焊接接头安全性能的影响,基于"欧洲工业结构完整性评定程序(SINTAP)"提供的失效评定图FAD方法,针对不同强度匹配的10CrNi3MoV船体钢焊接接头,建立了对应的失效评定曲线。根据母材与焊缝的拉伸试验及CTOD(裂纹尖端张开位移)试验结果,对比分析了3种匹配条件下的接头安全评定结果。研究表明,对于选定的评定级别,不同强度匹配系数对FAD图形状的影响很小;焊缝强度较高时,接头对塑性失稳的抵抗能力取决于母材性能;接头韧度水平相似时,低匹配接头对塑性失稳及脆性断裂的抵抗能力均稍差,弱于等匹配与高匹配;焊缝强度稍高于母材的"等强匹配"安全裕度最大,安全性最佳。     

Numerical simulations of fatigue crack initiation and propagation based on re-tensile plastic zone generating load criterion for in-plane gusset welded joints

Many accidents are caused by fatigue in welded built-up steel structures, and so it is important to estimate the fatigue lives of such structures quantitatively for safety reasons. By assuming that fatigue cracks cannot grow without an accumulation of alternating tensile/compressional plastic strain, one of the authors identified an improved effective stress intensity factor range ΔK _RPG based on the re-tensile plastic zone generating (RPG) load, which represents the driving force for fatigue cracks, and suggested that ΔK _RPG should be used as the parameter to describe fatigue crack growth behavior. The “FLARP” numerical simulation code in which ΔK _RPG is implemented as the fatigue crack growth parameter, was developed in order to predict fatigue crack initiation and propagation behavior. In this paper, it is demonstrated that FLARP gives accurate estimates for fatigue life by comparing the estimated fatigue crack growth curves and S–N curves with the experimental results for in-plane gusset welded joints, which are used in many welded steel structures. Moreover, the effect of induced bending moment due to the linear misalignment in the out of plane direction on the fatigue strength of in-plane gusset welded joints is investigated through numerical simulations.     

半潜坐底式海上风电安装船设计与开发

适用于海上浅水区域作业的半潜坐底式海上风电安装船具有安全性好、施工效率高和成本低等特点,其设计的特殊性在于需要考虑海流冲蚀泥沙导致的坐底面积丧失。以开发的一艘典型实船为例,阐述主要功能,提出坐底稳定性应考虑的两种工况,采用有限元计算对坐底工况结构强度进行校核,对在软泥和粉砂两种地质条件下进行作业给出应对措施,可为同类型船的设计提供一定技术参考。