Simplified mechanical calculation model for an entire jack-up platform system

Most existing research on jack-up platforms focuses on single spudcan structures for mechanical analyses, which may not fully capture the mechanical behavior of the entire structure platform. Moreover, creating a comprehensive solid model of a jack-up platform can be challenging. Therefore, there is a pressing need for a simplified mechanical calculation model that is able to consider the entire jack-up platform for mechanical analyses. This paper introduces simplified mechanical calculation model for the entire jack-up platform utilizing the B31 beam element in ABAQUS and concepts of "equivalent hull", "equivalent pile leg" and "equivalent foundation spring". The proposed model was validated by predicting the settlement of the spudcan during the translation of the upper block of an offshore booster station. Then the simplified mechanical calculation model was applied to analyze the in-situ stability of the jack-up platform under storm conditions with wave incidence angles of 0(degrees), 45(degrees )and 90(degrees). And the results show that the jack-up platform experiences the most unfavorable load conditions when the wave incidence angle is 90(degrees).