Reliability analysis of ice-induced fatigue and damage in offshore engineering structures

In Bohai Gulf, offshore and other installations have collapsed by sea ice due to the fatigue and fracture of the main supporting components in the ice environments. In this paper presented are some results on fatigue reliability of these structures in the Gulf by investigating the distributions of ice parameters such as its floating direction and speed, sheet thickness, compressive strength, ice forces on the structures, and hot spot stress in the structure. The low temperature, ice breaking modes and component fatigue failure modes are also taken into account in the analysis of the fatigue reliability of the offshore structures experiencing both random ice loading and low temperatures. The results could be applied to the design and operation of offshore platforms in the Bohai Gulf.