Effect of current on the dynamic response of a bi-articulated offshore tower

Abstract

Wind and wave loadings have a predominant role in the design of articulated offshore towers for its successful service and survival. Such towers are very sensitive to the dynamic effect of environmental loads. The compliant nature of these towers with environmental loads introduces geometric nonlinearity due to large displacements, which becomes an important consideration in the analysis of these towers. This article deals with the dynamic response of a bi-articulated offshore tower to wind, wave, and current forces. The exposed portion of the tower is subjected to the action of wind, while the submerged portion is acted upon by random wave and current forces. Wind load is modeled by Ochi and Shin spectrum, while the wave load is characterized by Pierson–Moskowitz spectrum. The nonlinear dynamic equations of motion are derived by Hamilton’s principle. Response of the tower is determined by a time domain iterative (Wilson-θ) method. Power spectral density of important parameters such as surge, tilting motion, hinge shear, and bending moment are presented under high and low sea states. It is observed that response of tower due to current modifies the peak energy of power spectral density functions.