• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.33-48
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• 2007

An Articulated tower is one of the compliant offshore structures connected to the sea-bed through a universal joint which is the most vulnerable location of the tower that sustains the randomly fluctuating shear stresses. The time history response of the bottom hinge shear is obtained and presented in the spectral form. The fatigue and fracture reliability assessment of the tower joint against randomly varying shear stresses have been carried out. Non-linear limit state functions are derived in terms of important random variables using S-N curve and fracture mechanics approaches. Advanced First Order Reliability Method is used for reliability assessment. Sensitivity analysis shows the influence of various variables on the hinge safety. Fatigue life estimation has been made using probabilistic approach.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.103-120
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• 2009

Articulated tower platforms due to its compliant nature are more susceptible to the dynamic effects of wind than conventional fixed platforms. Dynamic response analysis of a double hinged articulated tower excited by low frequency wind forces with random waves is presented in this paper. The exposed super structure of the platform, housing the drilling and production facilities is subjected to mean and fluctuating wind loads, while the submerged portion is acted upon by wind driven waves. The fluctuating component of the wind velocity is modeled by Emil Simiu's spectrum, while the sea state is characterized by Pierson-Moskowitz spectrum. Nonlinearities in the system due to drag force, added mass, variable submergence and instantaneous tower orientation are considered in the analysis. To account for these nonlinearities, an implicit time integration scheme (Newmark's-${\beta}$) has been employed which solves the equation of motion in an iterative fashion and response time histories are obtained. The power spectra obtained from random response time histories show the significance of low frequency responses.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.341-354
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• 2021

Articulated towers are one of the class of compliant offshore structures that freely oscillates with wind and waves, as they are designed to have low natural frequency than ocean waves. The present study deals with the dynamic response of a double-pendulum articulated tower under hydrodynamic and aerodynamic loads. The wind field is simulated by two approaches, namely, single-point and multiple-point. Nonlinearities such as instantaneous tower orientation, variable added mass, fluctuating buoyancy, and geometrical nonlinearities are duly considered in the analysis. Hamilton's principle is used to derive the nonlinear equations of motion (EOM). The EOM is solved in the time domain by using the Wilson-θ method. The maximum, minimum, mean, and standard deviation and salient power spectral density functions (PSDF) of deck displacement, bending moment, and central hinge shear are drawn for high and moderate sea states. The outcome of the analyses shows that tower response under multiple-point wind-field simulation results in lower responses when compared to that of single-point simulation.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 1992.04a
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• pp.45-50
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• 1992

해양 가이드 타워를 대상으로 하여, 지진하중에 대한 심해응구조물의 비정상거동해법에 대하여 연구하였다. 지반운동의 비정상특성은 정상과정성분에 시간포락함수가 곱해진 형태로 모형화하였으며, 구조물의 비정상거동은 시간종속분산함수로 구하였다. 지반가속도에 대한 자기상관함수를 복소지수함수의 형태로 이상화함으로써, 구조물 거동의 시간종속함수가 해석적인 방법으로 쉽게 구할 수 있는 기법을 개발하였다. 지진의 발생시간 동안 예상되는 최대거동을 구하였으며. 이를 구조물 거동을 정상확률과정으로 가정하여 산정한 결과와 비교 분석하였다.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.97-120
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• 2008

Wind and wave loadings have a predominant role in the design of offshore structures in general, and articulated tower in particular for a successful service and survival during normal and extreme environmental conditions. Such towers are very sensitive to the dynamic effects of wind and wind generated waves. The exposed superstructure is subjected to aerodynamic loads while the submerged substructure is subjected to hydrodynamic loads. Articulated towers are designed such that their fundamental frequency is well below the wave frequency to avoid dynamic amplification. Dynamic interaction of these towers with environmental loads (wind, waves and currents) acts to impart a lesser overall shear and overturning moment due to compliance to such forces. This compliancy introduces geometric nonlinearity due to large displacements, which becomes an important consideration in the analysis of articulated towers. Prediction of the nonlinear behaviour of these towers in the harsh ocean environment is difficult. However, simplified realistic mathematical models are employed to gain an important insight into the problem and to explore the dynamic behaviour. In this paper, various modeling approaches and solution methods for articulated towers adopted by past researchers are reviewed. Besides, reliability of articulation system, the paper also discussed the design, installation and performance of articulated towers around the world oceans.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.545-560
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• 2012

Design codes provide the minimum requirements for the design of code-compliant structures to ensure the safety of the life and property. As for code-exceeding buildings, the requirements for design are not sufficient and the approval of such structures is vague. In mainland China in recent years, a large number of code-exceeding tall buildings, whether their heights exceed the limit for the respective structure type or the extent of irregularity is violated, have been constructed. Performance-based seismic design (PBSD) approach has been highly recommended and become necessary to demonstrate the performance of code-exceeding tall buildings at least equivalent to code intent of safety. This paper proposes the general methodologies of performance-based seismic analysis and design of code-exceeding tall buildings in Mainland China. The PBSD approach proposed here includes selection of performance objectives, determination of design philosophy, establishment of design criteria for structural components and systems consistent with the desirable and transparent performance objectives, and seismic performance analysis and evaluation through extensive numerical analysis or further experimental study if necessary. The seismic analysis and design of 101-story Shanghai World Financial Center Tower is introduced as a typical engineering example where the PBSD approach is followed. The example demonstrates that the PBSD approach is an appropriate way to control efficiently the seismic damage on the structure and ensure the predictable and safe performance.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.49-62
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• 2013

Many previous tall building fires demonstrate that despite code compliant construction fires often spread vertically and burn over multiple floors at the same time. The collapses of the WTC complex buildings in 9/11 as well as other partial collapses like the ones of the Windsor Tower in Madrid and of the Technical University of Delft building posed new questions on the stability of tall buildings in fire. These accidents have shown that local or global collapse is possible in multi-floor fires. In most of the previous work involving multi-floor fires all floors were assumed to be heated simultaneously although in reality fires travel from one floor to another. This paper extends previous research by focusing on the collapse mechanisms of tall buildings in fire and performs a parametric study using various travelling rates. The results of the study demonstrate that vertically travelling fires have beneficial impact in terms of the global structural response of tall buildings in comparison to simultaneous fires. Contrary to the beneficial effect of the travelling fires in terms of the global structural response, it was noticed that higher tensile forces were also present in the floors compared to simultaneous multi-floor case. Designers are therefore advised to consider simultaneous multi-floor fire as an upper bound scenario. However, a scenario where a travelling fire is used is also suggested to be examined, as the tensile capacity of connections may be underestimated.