NDE/SHM of Underwater Structures: A Review

Abstract

Subsea infrastructures and broadly speaking any structure containing or surrounded by water such as water mains represent an important element of modern civilization. An arbitrary classification could consist of five groups: offshore structures that serve to extract oil or natural gas from the sea bead; communication cables; pipelines that carry oil and natural gas; naval vessels (ships and submarines); waterfront facilities such as piers, retaining walls, and docks. The occurrence of structural failure of any of these systems can have serious consequences for the people, the environment, and the economy. In this paper we describe the most important nondestructive techniques adopted to assess the health of offshore structures, pipelines, and marine facilities.