Shear-wave splitting in a critical crust: III. Preliminary report of multi-variable measurements in active tectonics

This is a preliminary report on two sets of recent observations from a region of active tectonics that provide comparatively direct evidence for the critical state of the fluid-saturated microcracked crust. The first data set from crosshole seismics in a controlled source stress-monitoring site (SMS) shows that the crust of the Earth is highly compliant and responds to low-level changes of tectonic stress at substantial distances. The second set of data from earthquake seismograms shows that the seismically active Húsavík–Flatey Fault plane is pervaded by critically high pore-fluid pressures, which cause 90° flips in the polarisations of seismic shear waves. We suggest that both sets of observations confirm previous hypotheses for a compliant crack-critical (CCC) crust. This is a new understanding of low-level pre-fracturing deformation that has fundamental implications for a range of applications in solid earth geophysics. These applications range from monitoring hydrocarbon production with time-lapse seismics to monitoring tectonic stress in in situ rock and stress-forecasting the times and magnitudes of impending large earthquakes.     

The dynamic response of a three-leg articulated tower

Articulated towers are a compliant type of platform particularly suited for deep water applications. In the design of articulated towers, it is very important that the motion characteristics include sufficient stability, less acceleration in the deck and the smallest possible loading on the articulated joint. The mass distribution along the tower also plays an important role in the motion characteristics of the tower. Multi-leg articulated towers with three or more towers (legs or shafts), which have been developed from the conventional single tower have reduced horizontal movements and have more deck area compared to the single-leg articulated towers. The experimental and analytical investigations on such towers are not available in the published literature. In this paper, both analytical treatment and an experimental program for a three-leg articulated tower model have been reported. The effect of mass distributions on the variations of the bending moment and the deck accelerations are also presented. The model has been tested in a 2 m wave flume for various wave frequencies and wave heights of regular waves. The model is also analysed using a computer program developed, and the comparison of theoretical results with the experimental results is presented.     

Design estimates of surface wave interaction with compliant deepwater platforms

The extreme behavior of surface waves as they encounter and pass compliant deepwater platforms is an important class of problems for offshore engineers attempting to specify the platform deck elevation. In this study analytical expressions for the probability density and cumulative distribution functions that utilize empirical coefficients in an attempt to accurately model surface wave runup and airgap problems are presented. The analysis focuses upon interpreting the tails of the measured data histograms using two parameter Weibull distribution models. The appropriate empirical constants, assumed to be solely dependent upon the significant wave height, were evaluated and compared for all the test data. Based upon a small select set of data, for a mini-TLP and two Spar platforms, the airgap problem was found to be adequately modeled using a Rayleigh distribution. Further, for the seven seastates analyzed, the Weibull shape parameter was nearly constant and the data confirmed that the exclusive fit of the scale parameter assuming dependence only on the significant wave height was a reasonable approach for modeling the wave runup. Finally, by combining these models with a Poisson return model for each storm the associated reliability estimates for various deck heights were estimated.