Finite Element Method for Design of Reinforced Concrete Offshore Platforms

A design method of reinforced concrete (R. C.) offshore platforms with nonlinear finite element analysis is proposed. According to the method, a computer program is developed. In this program nonlinear constitutive relationships and strength criteria of concrete and steel bars are included, and the progressive cracking and crushing of the concrete are taken into account. Based on the stress distribution obtained by the nonlinear finite element analysis, the amount of reinforcement in the control sections can be computed and adjusted automatically by the program to satisfy the requirement of the design. The amount of reinforcement required in the control sections, which are obtained with the nonlinear finite element analysis, is agreeable to that obtained in the experiment. This shows that the design method of R. C. offshore platform with the nonlinear finite element method proposed by the authors is reliable for practical use.     

A Review of Studies on the Interaction Between Waves and Muddy Bottom

This paper presents a brief review of the results on the interaction between waves and muddy bottom obtained during the last decade including the results obtained by the author at the Coastal Engineering Laboratory of Tianjin University.     

Discharge Control on Boundary of Tidal Models and Measuring Techniques of Low Current Velocity

This paper describes the discharge control technique on boundary used in two models, one is the model of hot water drainning in Dayawan Nyclear Power Plant, Guangdong, and the other is the model for trainhing the sand bar at the Guanhe Estuary, Jiangsu. Many years of application shows that this technique has the advantages of good reliability, repeatability and validity. The speedometer of hydrogen bubble is also introduced in this paper. The device can display and store tracing lines in a computer, and help operators to obtain the value and direction of transient velocity of a nonsteady current, thus, the problem of measurment of low current velocity in tidal model tests is solved and the automation of the measurement of current velocity is realized.     

The Shielding Effect of Multi-Pile Structures on Ice Force

The shielding effect of the front pile-row on the ice force acting on the hack pile-row is studied by ice force model tests. In the tests, the front pile-row is designed to model jacket legs and the hack pile-row to model the water resisting pipe-phalanx within the jacket. The shielding factor for ice force corresponding to different conditions are given in this paper. The research indicates that there are many factors, including the longitudinal and lateral spacing between the front and hack pile-row, ice attacking angle and the ratio of pile diameter to ice thickness, that influence the shielding effect on ice force.     

Modulus of Subgrade Reaction for Laterally Loaded Piles in Multiple Layered Foundation

-According to the field test data of laterally loaded steel piles at home and abroad,an empiri-cal formula for evaluating the modulus of subgrade reaction under static load in layered soil is proposed.The suggested formula takes account of not only non-linearity of K_s with the depth but also its variationwith the load.It is shown that the computed bending moments along the pile shaft and the deflection atthe pile top are consistent with the measured ones.     

Hydroelastic Response Analysis of Mat-Like VLFS over A Plane Slope in Head Seas

1 .IntroductionIntheexploitationofoceanresourcesandintheutilizationofoceanspaces,verylargefloatingstructures (VLFS)suchasMega FloatinJapan (Isobe ,1 999)andMobileOffshoreBase (MOB)inUSA (Remmers ,1 999)playasignificantrole .However,owingtotheirlargesizesandrelativelylowbendingrigidities ,theirhydroelasticresponsesinwavesareofthemostconcern .ManystudieshavebeencarriedoutforthepredictionofthehydroelasticresponsesofVLFS′s (Kashiwagi,2 0 0 0 ;Cui,2 0 0 2 ) .However,inalmostallofthesestu…     

NotesBenthic foraminiferal distribution in surface sediments along continental slope of the southern Okinawa Trough: dependance on water masses and food supply

Benthic foraminiferal analysis of 29 samples in surface sediments from the southern Okinawa Trough is carried out. The results indicate that benthic foraminiferal abundance decreases rapidly with increasing water depth. Percentage frequencies of agglutinated foraminifera further confirm the modern shallow carbonate lysocline in the southern Okinawa Trough. From continental shelf edge to the bottom of Okinawa Trough, benthic foraminiferal fauna in the surface sediments can be divided into 5 assemblages: (1) Continental shelf break assemblage, dominated by Cibicides pseudoungerianus, corresponds to subsurface water mass of the Kuroshio Current; (2) upper continental slope assemblage, dominated by Cassidulina carinata , Globocassidulina subglobosa, corresponds to intermediate water mass of the Kuroshio Current; (3) intermediate continental slope assemblage, dominated by Uvigerina hispi-da, corresponds to the Okinawa Trough deep water mass above the carbonate lysocline; (4) lower continental slope- trough b     

Multilevel Optimal Design of Prestressed Lightweight Concrete-Steel Platform Structures

The concrete-steel platform structure is rather complicated because it involves such materials as concrete, reinforcing bars, steel, and so on. K the traditional dimension optimization method is employed, the optimal design of the platform will meet many handicaps, even it cannot be implemented at all. The multilevel optimal design approach is an efficient tool for the solution of large-scale engineering structures. In this paper, this approach is applied to the optimal design of a concrete-steel platform, which is formulated as a system level optimal design problem and a set of uncoupled substructure level optimal design problems. The process of optimization is a process of iteration between system level and substructure level until the objective function converges. An illustrative example indicates that this method is effective in the optimal design of concrete-steel platforms.     

Silting in the Lower Courses of Tidal Sluices in China

Serious sediment deposition often occurs after the construction of tidal sluices in snrall or medium-sized tidal muddy estuaries, so desilting or dredging is needed to meet the demands of flood diseharge, saltwater retaining, and navigation in those areas. In this paper, the problem of sediment deposition induced by construction of tidal sluices is analyzed.Different problems of silting near tidal sluices for different types of estuaries are summed up. at the same time, corresponding methods are given to solve these probleras, and a few successful examples are also given. The idea of comprehensive regulation and utilization of estuaries is put forward, and some proposals for solution of sediment deposition in this kind of estuaries are made.     

Cumulative Deformation of Soft Clay Under Cyclic Loading

Reconstituted specimens are prepared by means of vacuum preloading. Both static and cyclic triaxial tests are carried out, with the specimens consolidated under different principal stress ratios. A finite element method is put forward for calculating the cumulative deformation of soft clay under cyclic loading.