Development and Verification of Template Offshore Capacity Analysis Tools (TOPCAT)

摘要

This paper summarizes development and application of the suite of computer programs identified as TOPCAT (Template Offshore Platform Capacity Analysis Tools). TOPCAT provides high utility, simplified analyses of storm, earthquake, and operating loadings, the capacities of the primary structural components that comprise template-type platforms, the fatigue of important structural detail,s and the reliabilities of the primary structure and foundaiton components. The loading and capacity algorithms in TOPCAT have been verified with results from detailed nonlinear analyses, with performnace characteristics of platforms subjected to intense hurricane loadings, and with data from large scale tests. These verifications have shown that TOPCAT can develop essentially unbiased results with a small coefficient of variation. TOPCAT has proven to be valuable in performing screening analyses for platform requalifications, in development of platform IMR (inspection, maintenance, repair) programs, in reliability and parametric analyses, in preliminary design of new platforms, and in providing verifications of results from detailed analyses.