Effect of stop holes on structural integrity of offshore structures: a numerical model

Abstract

As offshore structures are reaching their original design life, effective repair and life-extension techniques are required, in order to ensure continued safe operation. A stop hole may be drilled at the end of a crack, in order to delay further fatigue crack propagation. To compare the stop hole technique with other relevant repair techniques, its effect needs to be modelled. Here, a procedure for modelling the stop hole-induced fatigue crack growth delay for a crack propagating under mixed-mode I + II conditions is presented. The procedure combines the S–N curve for fatigue crack initiation and the Paris law for fatigue crack propagation, with models for mixed-mode crack propagation and finite-element analysis of the cracked geometry. The failure criterion inherent in the S–N curves is used to define the transition between initiation and propagation. The procedure is implemented on an example, and the importance of considering the mixed-mode conditions is indicated.