Structural Integrity Assessment of a Pipeline Subjected to an Underwater Explosion

Abstract

Several trunklines cross either areas which in the recent past were war theatre or dumping areas used for burying weapons after the last war. The presence of unexploded mines, bombs or torpedoes on the seabed constitutes a potential hazard for the structural integrity of submarine pipelines. Before laying, it is therefore necessary to remove the unexploded charges within a corridor including the route. Risk still remains during the pipeline life, since annual surveys can show evidences of unexploded mines or torpedoes dragged by fishing gears till the protruding pipeline. Consequently, the structural integrity assessment of a submarine pipeline subjected to underwater explosions is of the utmost importance. The aforementioned assessment involves several aspects: the characterization of shock wave and gas bubble pulsation in water; the definition of loading conditions on the pipeline; the characterisation of the strain-rate properties of the steel; the local and global structural analysis; the pipe verification criteria. Aim of this study is to describe how the aforementioned aspects can be managed. Analytical and numerical approaches concerning the assessment of the structural response of the pipeline are presented, and criteria for Serviceability and Accidental Limit States are proposed.