Vortex-Induced Vibrations of A Free-Spanning Pipe Based on A Nonlinear Hysteretic Soil Model at the Shoulders

The pipe-soil interactions at shoulders can significantly affect the vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) of free-spanning pipes in the subsea. In this paper, the seabed soil reacting force on the pipe is directly calculated with a nonlinear hysteretic soil model. For the VIV in the middle span, a classic van der Pol wake oscillator is adopted. Based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory, the vibration equations of the pipe are obtained which are different in the middle span and at the two end shoulders. The static configuration of the pipe is firstly calculated and then the VIV is simulated. The present model is validated with the comparisons of VIV experiment, pipe-soil interaction experiment and the simulation results of VIV of free-spanning pipes in which the seabed soil is modelled with spring-dashpots. With the present model, the influence of seabed soil on the VIV of a free-spanning pipe is analyzed. The parametric studies show that when the seabed soil has a larger suction area, the pipe vibrates with smaller bending stresses and is safer. While with the increase of the shear strength of the seabed soil, the bending stresses increase and the pipe faces more danger.