Numerical Modeling Approach for Steel Catenary Riser Behavior at Touchdown Zone
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 147, Issue 6
Abstract
This paper introduces a new numerical approach in the analysis of the dynamic interaction between the steel catenary riser (SCR) and seabed in the vicinity of the touchdown zone (TDZ). The interaction between the SCR and seabed is modeled by a series of springs distributed along the SCR length. The pipe-soil interaction (the single spring) is simulated by an elastoplastic model in which the penetration resistance is estimated according to the relation to the yield force on the backbone curve. The backbone curve is calculated according to the current soil undrained shear strength () at the pipe depth. The is evaluated by a recently developed effective stress framework in which the effect of soil remolding during pipe dynamic motion can be well captured by formulating within the framework of critical-state soil mechanics. An example of the whole SCR under cyclic displacements induced by the vessel motion for different wave conditions is analyzed using the proposed numerical approach, and the SCR responses in the TDZ, including the embedment, contact forces, penetration stiffness, and structural responses, are discussed.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The second author acknowledges his Ph.D. research support from the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub for Offshore Floating Facilities and the University of Western Australia. The third author would like to acknowledge funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (through Grant Nos. U1806230 and 41772294).
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 147 • Issue 6 • June 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 3, 2019
Accepted: Jan 8, 2021
Published online: Mar 27, 2021
Published in print: Jun 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Aug 27, 2021
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