Methods for fatigue strength improvement and repair of welded offshore structures
- Univ. of Trondheim (Norway). Dept. of Civil Engineering
North Sea platforms suffer various types of damage requiring repair and strengthening. Common types of damage in welded structures are discussed and several methods for in-service repair and improvement of welded details are reviewed. These methods include grinding out cracks, and, in the case of through thickness cracks, repair welding, hole drilling and the use of clamps and grouting. In general the success of the repair depends on the type of detail, the size and type of the crack (surface or through thickness crack), and conditions at the repair site. Some experimental fatigue data from recent research involving grinding combined with hammer peening is presented, and it is shown that for shallow cracks the fatigue strength of the improved weld approaches the strength of the unwelded plate. Results from introductory subsea trials performed at the Ekofisk field indicate that the combination of grinding and peening is a viable method for the repair and strengthening of welded joints in offshore platforms containing fatigue cracks.
- OSTI ID:
- 27959
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940230--; ISBN 0-7918-1266-9
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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