MAT TOC

Proceedings of OMAE02
21st International Conference on Offshore Mechanics
Proceedings of OMAE'02
and
Artic Engineering
21th International Conference on Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering
June 23-28,June
2002,Oslo,
Norway
2002, Oslo,
Norway

OMAE2002-28538

OMAE Paper No 28538

OVERVIEW OF THE FPSO - FATIGUE CAPACITY JIP
Pl G. Bergan and Inge Lotsberg
Det Norske Veritas AS
Hvik, Norway
Wolfgang Fricke
Technical University of Hamburg Harburg
Hamburg, Germany
Michel Francois
Bureau Veritas
Paris, France
Henryk Pisarski
The Welding Institute
Cambridge, United Kingdom

ABSTRACT
This paper presents an overview of a joint industry project
carried out in the period 2001 2003 to address the Fatigue
Capacity of FPSOs.
Numerical investigations and fatigue testing is performed
in order to improve the accuracy, robustness and efficiency of
finite element modeling and hot spot stress evaluation for
typical FPSO details.
Design criteria will be developed for fatigue crack growth
from the root of fillet welds in typical details in FPSOs
including fillet welds around attachments and fillet welds
around pipes penetrating deck plates.
Fatigue analysis methods for FPSOs with guidelines on
determination of side pressures in the water line will be
developed. This work will be supported by assessment of
actual measurement data from the field and testing in a tank.
Methods for planning in-service inspection of FPSOs
based on a fracture mechanics and reliability analysis will be
developed. Also a procedure for repair of a fatigue crack while
the FPSO is on station in the field will be developed.
INTRODUCTION
A joint industry project on the Fatigue Capacity of FPSOs
was carried out with 19 participants from oil companies,

designers, shipyards and classification companies during the

period 1998 2000, see Lotsberg (2001). The main objective
of the project was to develop technology and design
recommendations to reduce the risk for fatigue cracks and
fracture in FPSOs. The project provided small scale and full
scale S-N data on typical fatigue sensitive details in FPSOs
and tankers. Improved information on the important link
between S-N data and finite element analyses for fatigue life
assessment was also derived. Finally, the project established
data to improve the reliably of assessing the risk for unstable
fracture of FPSOs when fatigue cracks are present in the
structure. A number of papers with some of the key findings
from the project have been presented at international
conferences during 2001 ref. e.g. (Fricke (2001), Chen and
Landet (2001) Rucho et al. (2001), Polezhaeva and Chung
(2001), Kim et al. (2001), Maddox (2001) and Lotsberg et al.
(2001).
A considerable amount of new experimental and
calculated data applicable for improved FPSO design was
established throughout this project. However, it is recognized
that further work should be performed in order to investigate
and clarify several issues that, due time and budget restraints,
could not be fully resolved within the project performed. Thus,
the industry decided upon an extension of the FPSO Fatigue

Copyright 2002 by ASME

Capacity JIP to be carried out in the time period 2001-2003.

The current paper presents an overview of the content of the
Phase II project which is performed in co-operation with 18
participants including oil companies, designers, FPSO
operators, shipyards, universities and classification societies.
SCOPE OF WORK
General
The project is described by 5 different tasks as shown in
Figure 1. The hot spot stress technology in task 1 was also a
central issue in Phase I whereas Tasks 2-5 are new.
.
Task 1 Weld Toe Assessment
This task includes extensive finite element analyses using
different element meshes for convergence/divergence testing
and assessment of a proper link between hot spot stress
analysis and design S-N data. Normally fatigue cracks initiate
at weld toes of welded connections. Due to irregularities and
scatter of local weld notch geometry it is not possible to
measure the stress directly at the hot spots in tests. In S-N data
testing one may measure the stress along the surface and define
a hot spot stress that is obtained by, for example, linear
extrapolation as shown in Figure 2. One may follow a similar
procedure using finite elements to calculate the hot spot stress
at other types of structural details.
The analysis procedure for hot spot stress should be
simple to perform from an engineering point of view. And the
procedure must be robust in the sense that significant hot spots
will not be passed (not observed) during the analysis process.
Three different methods were used for hot spot stress
derivation at plate surfaces from the calculated FE results in
Phase I, see Fricke (2001):
Linear extrapolation over reference points 0.5 and 1.5
times plate thickness away from the hot spot
(technique preferred by most Classification Societies)
Linear extrapolation over reference points 0.4 and 1.0
times plate thickness away from the hot spot
(technique recommended by IIW, 1996)
No extrapolation, but considering the stress value at
0.5 times plate thickness as the relevant hot spot
stress
The hot spot stress methodology from Phase I is based on
an assumed linear stress distribution through the plate
thickness in connection with:
One 20-node isoparametric element over the
thickness (second order displacement function giving
linear stress when calculating its derivative)
Shell elements that represent axial force and bending
moment over the plate thickness.

The same methodology will also be used in Phase II. In

addition it is planned to calculate the geometrical stress (or the
structural stress) from a linear stress distribution through the
plate directly at the hot spot, see Figure 2. The methods
described which imply a linear stress distribution through the
thickness away from the hot spot, also require a surface
extrapolation towards the notch. An alternative may be to
calculate the hot spot stress on the basis of nodal forces in a
FE model. Nodal forces provide a rather crude measure of
stresses, but have the advantage that they are rather mesh
insensitive and give accurate sectional forces.
The nodal forces can be calculated from the element
stiffness matrix and the corresponding nodal displacement (and
rotations for shell elements).
For three-dimensional models an integration of stresses
may be performed as an alternative to stress point
extrapolation. For shell elements the stresses are generally best
represented at the Gaussian points. Surface stresses may be
established by extrapolation from internal Gauss points. Such
techniques are also discussed in the Designers Guide by Niemi
(2001).
There is a question of how to consider a varying stress
distribution along the elements width. One alternative might be
to calculate a mean stress over the element width. The result
will be a function of the element width for most details in
FPSOs such as bracket ends etc.
Task 1 also focuses on the importance of the thickness
effect. Department of Energy introduced a thickness effect
correction factor in the design S-N curves in 1983. It is a
question on how to handle this thickness effect when a finite
element analysis is performed and the calculated stress is used
together with a design hot spot stress S-N curve.
This task also explores further analysis of the full scale
test specimens from Phase I (see Figure 3). For example
specimen no 1 will be analyzed by three-dimensional elements
to investigate:
Effect of longitudinal bulb section on torsion.
Eccentric force transfer between bulb section and
stiffener in transverse frames.
Stress flow at hot spot regions where a proper
modeling of the fillet welds are likely to improve the
reliability of the analyses.
This assessment may be important for all specimens in order to
establish reliable reference results. This investigation can later
be utilized for exploiting simpler and computationally more
efficient shell analysis methods. This study will also include
modeling of lug plates, which normally are placed
eccentrically relative to the transverse plates.
Task 2 Root Cracking Assessment of Fillet welds
Most connections in FPSOs, except for butt welds, are
made as fillet welds.

Copyright 2002 by ASME

It was earlier observed that one of the fatigue cracks in

full scale test specimen number 1 initiated from the fillet weld
root. This is shown in Figure 4. Task 2 aims at developing a
design criterion for fatigue crack growth starting from the root
of fillet welds during combined stresses, see Figure 5.
A literature survey will be performed by The Welding
Institute in Cambridge to develop a test matrix before the
fatigue testing is performed. The purpose of this test series is
to improve the data basis for a general design criterion for
fillet welds. Different types of specimens and loading
conditions will be tested. Fillet welded tubular sections will be
subjected to torsion and axial loading to achieve a combined
stress distribution in the weld. The test rig for these
experiments is shown in Figure 6.
A fatigue analysis procedure associated with the proposed
design criterion will be investigated and tested on fillet welds
at typical FPSO details. This includes fillet welds around
attachments, see Figures 7 and 8, and fillet welds around pipes
penetrating deck plates.
The actual fatigue testing will be performed at DNV and
the Technical University Hamburg- Harburg. The fatigue
testing will be supplemented by crack propagation analyses to
widen the range of parameters.
Task 3 Fatigue Testing
The objective of Task 3 is to carry out fatigue testing in
support of the analysis work in Tasks 1 (Weld toe assessment
methodology), Task 4 (Fatigue analysis methodology) and
Task 5 (Inspection and repair).
Some of the specimens tested in Phase I showed very long
fatigue lives. It is important to understand the reasons for this
behavior in order to benefit from such properties in practical
design. This will require further testing, analysis and
verification.
Some additional test specimens of the same geometry as
tested by HHI in Phase I (Kim et al. (2001)) will be fabricated
and fatigue tested for this purpose. A few of the specimens will
be repaired by friction stitch welding. The repaired specimens
will then be fatigue tested.
The shipyard Daewoo is exploring the possibility of using
bent hopper corners as an alternative to welded connections.
They will perform fatigue testing of small scale and full scale
test specimens. In addition they plan to perform finite element
analysis for calibration and fatigue assessment of the different
design solutions.
Task 4: Fatigue Analysis Methodology
The current industry practice for assessing tanker and
FPSO hull structural designs varies from company to company.
.

For the evaluation of the hull structural response, a FE

analysis with a three holds model is typically required in the
rule-based practices. However, there is still room for
improvement of the current design guidelines, and it is the
intention of the project to develop a technical basis to improve
the analysis process.
It is envisioned that the results can be used as basis for the
harmonization effort of guidelines and rules currently
undertaken by class societies, and further be used as input for
communication with IACS and research organizations such as
ISSC.
It has been observed that local pressures in the waterline
area introduce non-linear loading effects. This requires special
attention with linear frequency domain analysis, as used for
fatigue analysis. One of the objectives of this task is to develop
practical representations of external wave pressure loads for
spectral fatigue analysis, based on real time pressure fields on
side-shell of an FPSO in seaways. The pressure fields will be
obtained from model testing in an offshore tank using a 1:20
model of the "Glas Dowr" FPSO instrumented with high-tech
matrix pressure sensor. This work is undertaken by MARIN in
The Netherlands.
Input will also be obtained from statistical data from
actual measurements of GlasDowr by Bluewater.
In connection with another joint industry project, denoted
"FPSO Integrity", a 2 year full scale measurement campaign
was carried out on board Bluewaters FPSO Glas Dowr, then
operating on the Continental Shelf of UK.
During the measurement campaign of the Glas Dowr a vast
data set was recorded containing all relevant operational and
environmental parameters such as wind, wave height, current,
vessel heading, tank fillings, draft, trim. Simultaneously,
resulting (pressure) loads, stresses and strains in the vessel like
side shell loads, stiffener stresses, tank pressures, overall
bending loads etc. were electronically recorded
This database has been used in the JIP "FPSO Integrity" to
study fatigue loads and to validate predictive software.
However, it still contains a wealth of information for Phase II
of this joint industry project. The following subjects are
considered to be of interest:
Long-term load/stress range distributions
Mean load/stress in combination with load/stress
ranges
Comparisons with the model testing on local pressure
(intermittent wetting).
Based on the above information, analyses will be carried
out to investigate a number of matters relevant to structural
modeling and load application, such as :
assessment of how wet and dry surfaces in the
waterline area can be properly accounted for in a
linearised frequency domain fatigue analysis,
investigations related to finite element modeling and
response analyses,

Copyright 2002 by ASME

evaluation of simplified methods versus full spectral

analysis,
evaluation of mean stress effects/residual stress.

Task 5:
Task 5 concentrates on developing a methodology for
planning of in-service inspection of FPSOs. A cope hole at the
bottom of the hull is used as an example. This methodology is
based on reliability analysis, ref. also Lotsberg et al.
(1999/2000).
Task 5 also contains development of a procedure for
repair of a fatigue crack at a cope hole (scallop or mouse hole)
while the FPSO is installed on the field.
PARTICIPATION AND ORGANISATION OF THE
PROJECT
The following participants contributes to the project by
funding and work in kind:
Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering
Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI)
BP
Conoco
Shell Deepwater Develop. Systems
Statoil
TotalFinaElf
Petrobras
Bluewater
Navion
Marin
Bureau Veritas
Det Norske Veritas
Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
National University of Singapore
NTNU
Shanghai Jiaotong University
Technical University Hamburg-Harburg
The Welding Institute performs consulting work.
The shipyards, a research institute and the universities
contribute to the project by work-in-kind as their participation
fee.
Pl G. Bergan, DNV, is project manager and Inge
Lotsberg, DNV, is associate project manager for the project.
Inge Lotsberg is also co-ordinating the three first tasks. Michel
Francois, Bureau Veritas, and Henryk Pisarski, The Welding
Institute, are co-ordinating Tasks 4 and 5 respectively.

REFERENCES
Chen, W. and Landet, E. (2001): Stress Analysis of Cut-outs
with and without Reinforcement. OMAE Rio de Janeiro, June.
Fricke, W. (2001): Recommended Hot Spot Analysis
Procedure for Structural Details of FPSOs and Ships Based on
Round-Robin FE Analyses. ISOPE Stavanger, June.
Fricke, W. and Bogdan, R. (2001): Determination of Hot Spot
Stress in Structural Members with In-Plane Notches Using a
Coarse Element Mesh. IIW-Doc. XIII-1870-01.
Hobbacher, A. (1996): Fatigue Design of Welded Joints and
Components. IIW. XIII-1539-96/ XV-845-96.
Kim, W. S., Kim, D. H., Lee, S. G. and Lee, Y. K. (2001):
Fatigue Strength of Load-Carrying Box Fillet Weldment in
Ship Structure. PRADS Shanghai, September.
Lotsberg, I., Sigurdsson G. and Wold, P. T. (1999):
Probabilistic Inspection Planning of the sgard A FPSO Hull
Structure with Respect to Fatigue. OMAE99 St. Johns, New
Foundland, July, Also Journal of Offshore Mechanics and
Arctic Engineering. Vol. 122, May 2000, pp.134-140.
Lotsberg, I. (2000): Background and Status of the FPSO
Fatigue Capacity JIP, OTC Paper No 12144. Houston, May.
Lotsberg, I., Askheim, D. ., Haavi, T. and Maddox, S.
(2001): Full Scale Fatigue Testing of Side Longitudinals in
FPSOs. ISOPE Stavanger, June.
Maddox, S. (2001): Recommended Design S-N Curves for
Fatigue Assessment of FPSOs. ISOPE Stavanger, June.
Niemi, E. (2001). Structural stress approach to fatigue analysis
of welded components, -Designers Guide. IIW Doc. XV1090-01.
Polezhaeva, H. and Chung, H. (2001): Effect of Misalignment
on the Stress Concentration of a Welded Hopper Knuckle for a
Typical FPSO. OMAE Rio de Janeiro, June.
Rucho, P. Maherault, S., Chen, W., Berstad, A. and Samny, G.
E. (2001): Comparison of Measurements and Finite Element
Analysis of Side Longitudinals. ISOPE Stavanger, June.

Copyright 2002 by ASME

FPSO - Fatigue Capacity Phase II

Task 1

Task 2

Task 3

Task 4

Task 5

Weld Toe
Assessment
Methodology

Root Cracking
Assessment
Methodology

Additional
Fatigue
Testing

Fatigue
Analysis
Methodology

In-situ
Inspection and
Repair
Methods

Figure 1 Overview of the main tasks in the Fatigue Capacity JIP

Notch stress

Stress

Hot spot stress

Surface stress

t/2
Bracket toe

3t/2
Hot spot stress
Notch stress

Fillet weld

Membrane stress
Stress evaluation plane
Figure 2 Stress distribution at the weld toe region

Copyright 2002 by ASME

A-A

B-B

C-C

D-D

Figure 3 Overview of full scale test specimens

Throat
section

Figure 5 Stress components in a throat section of a

fillet weld
Figure 4 Fatigue cracking from one fillet root in
specimen 1

Copyright 2002 by ASME

Side view:

Top view

100 t
actuator
2 x 25 t
actuators

2 x 25 t
actuators

Specimen

600

600

600

600

600

600

Figure 6 Test arrangement for fatigue testing of fillet welds with combined stresses

200

R=30

A-A

Figure 7 Fatigue testing of fillet welds simulating the stress condition at a cope hole

Copyright 2002 by ASME

140

55

R=30

15

55

Figure 8 Fatigue testing of fillet welds simulating the stress condition at a soft nose

Longitudinal

Potential
crack areas
Plate

B-B

Figure 9 Potential fatigue cracks at cope holes at block welds

Copyright 2002 by ASME