Instrumentation for monitoring the structural integrity of offshore jacket platforms

Any method of independently assessing the structural integrity of offshore platforms will be welcomed by the operators and owners of the platforms since the integrity of these structures is presently assessed by diving operations, a method which is highly un-economical and which has inherent limitations.

Any method of independently assessing the structural integrity of offshore platforms will be welcomed by the operators and owners of the platforms since the integrity of these structures is presently assessed by diving operations, a method which is highly un-economical and which has inherent limitations.

Consequently, researchers have turned their attention to integrity monitoring based on measured dynamic response. Many of these investigations were based on simple analytical and experimental models though some took measurements on actual platforms.

After a search through the reported work, it was felt necessary to investigate the sensitivity of different modal parameters on structural integrity. Both finite element and physical models were used in this study and it was found that modal parameters could be used for structural integrity monitoring. A scheme for integrity monitoring is proposed, based on this study.