A Probabilistic Model for Fatigue Crack Propagation Analysis

A simple probabilistic model for predicting crack growth behavior under random loading is pre-sented.In the model,the parameters c and m in the Paris-Erdogan Equation are taken as random variables,and their stochastic characteristic values are obtained through fatigue crack propagation tests on an offshorestructural steel under constant amplitude loading.Furthermore,by using the Monte Carlo simulation tech-nique,the fatigue crack propagation life to reach a given crack length is predicted.The tests are conducted toverify the applicability of the theoretical prediction of the fatigue crack propagation.     

Breaking of Solitary Waves on Uniform Slopes

The propagation,shoaling and breaking of solitary waves on mild slopes are simulated byboundary element method.In this paper,the criterion of breaking solitary waves on mild slopes is discussed.The criterion is that the ratio of horizontal velocity of water particles on the wave crest to wave celerity equalsone.However,the case that the ratio of horizontal velocity of water particles on the wave crest to wave ce-lerity is below one but the front face of wave profile becomes vertical is also considered as a breaking criteri-on.According to the above criteria,the breaking index for slopes 1:10 to 1:25 is studied.The result is com-pared to other researchers'.The deformation of solitary waves on slopes is discussed and the distribution offluid velocities at breaking is shown.     

Breaking Criteria for Regular Waves on Gentle Slopes

Nelson pointed out that the wave breaking criterion(H/d)_b for gentle slopes(i<1/100),inwhich H is the wave height and d is the water depth at the breaking point,is smaller than that for beachslopes of i>1/100),i.e.,the value of(H/d)_b for gentle slopes may be smaller than 0.6.Goda indicatedthat the wave breaking criterion given by himself is a result based on theoretical study,so it should be alsocorrect and can be used for gentle beaches,i.e.,the value of(H/d)_b for gentle slopes may be still largerthan 0.7.By use of high order nonlinear wave theory,this problem is analyzed in this study and the reasonwhy there is a large difference between different studies is explained.Moreover,the bottom energy loss dur-ing wave propagation is considered and the critical slope for the absence of wave breaking is also analyzed.     

Multiple-Step Predictive Control for Offshore Structures

—Ocean wave propagation is slow,visible and measurable,so a wave theory can be used to approxi-mately predict the imminnent wave force on an offshore structure based on measured,real-time wave elevation nearthe structure.This predictability suggests the development of a more efficient algorithm,than those that have beendeveloped for structures under wind and seismic loads,for the active vibration control of offshore structures.Thepresent study delveops a mutiple-step predictive optimal control(MPOC)algorithm that accounts for multiple-step external loading in the determibation of optimal control forces.The control efficiency of the newly developedMPOC algorithm has been investigated under both regular(single-frequency)and irregular(multiple-frequency)wave loads,and compared with that of two other well-known optimal control algorithms:classical linear optimalcontrol(CLOC)and instantaneou optimal control(IOC).     

A Study on the Distribution of Wave Phases

Probability distributions of wave phases in association with distributions of surface elevations arestudied with wave records.Wave records of different nature are used for comparison.These are surface fluc-tuations acquired during wind wave flume experiments,representing wave generation under strong wind:andwave records measured in the northern part of Taiwan for waves in natural environments.Three probabilitymodels,the unifrom distribution,the beta distribution,and a model from Tayfun and Lo(1989)are adoptedto study the possible distributions of wave phases.It is found that when surface elevations become skewed,wave phases deviate from the usually assumed uniform distribution and a better model would be the beta dis-tribution.     

Normalization of Hydrodynamic Coefficients in Morison Equation

-The hydrodynamic coefficients C_d and C_m are not only dependent on the size of slender cylin-der,its location in water,KC number and Re number,but also vary with environmental conditions,i.e.,in regular waves or in irregular waves,in pure waves or in wave-current coexisting field.In this paper,thenormalization of hydrodynamic coefficients for various environmental conditions is discussed.When aproper definition of KC number and proper characteristic values of irregular waves are used,a unified re-lationship between C_d,C_m and KC number for regular waves,irregular waves,pure waves and wave-cur-rent coexisting field can be obtained.     

The Optimal Design of TMD for Offshore Structures

This paper presents the optimal design procedure of Tuned Mass Damper(TMD)for re-ducing vibration of an actual steel jacket offshore platform excited by random wave loading.In this study,a frequency domain is taken.The force on the structure is determined by use of the linearized Morisonequation for an input Power Spectral Density(PSD)of wave elevation.The sensitivity of optimum valuesof TMD to characteristic parameters of random wave spectrum is analyzed.An optimized TMD designfor the modeled platform is given based on design conditions and the findings of the study.     

A comparison between the fabric camera and texture goniometer methods of fabric analysis by X-ray diffraction

The effects of grain size on the analysis of fabrics by X-ray diffraction using both the fabric camera and the texture goniometer are discussed. Simple calculations show the interdependance between the mean grain diameter and the number of crystals which are measured by each instrument. The effects of both grain size and modal composition of the specimen are illustrated by comparative analyses. Both the fabric camera and texture goniometer are well suited to the analysis of specimens in which the mean grain diameter is between approximately 10 and 100 microns. The texture goniometer is more suitable when the grain size is less than this, while the fabric camera is better suited when the grain size is coarser, especially when the specimen is not monomineralic.