Bending Behavior of the Mooring Chain Links Subjected to High Tensile Forces

Abstract

Bending Behavior of the Mooring Chain Links Subjected to High Tensile Forces Mooring chain;Friction;Stress concentration;Nonlinear finite element analysis;Fatigue; This paper presents the study of the bending behavior of mooring chain links for keeping the position of the offshore floating structures. In general, chain links have been thought as the axial members due to the fundamental boundary condition. But, the flexural stiffness can be induced to the contact surface between chain links when friction occurs at the surface of the chain links due to high tensile force. Especially, the mooring chains for offshore floating platforms are highly tensioned. If the floater suffers rotational motion and the mooring chain links are highly tensioned, the rotation between contact links, induced by the floater rotation, generates the bending moment and relevant stresses due to the unexpected bending stiffness. In 2005, the mooring chain links for the Girassol Buoy Platform were failed after just 5 months after facility installation, and the accident investigation research concluded the chain failure was mainly caused by the fatigue due to the unexpected bending stress fluctuation. This study investigates the pattern of the induced bending stiffness and stresses of the highly tensioned chain links by nonlinear finite element analysis.