New Efficient and Accurate Method of Nonlinear Analysis of Offshore Tubular Frames (the Idealized Structural Unit Method)

The Idealized Structural Unit Method [1, 2] is applied to the analysis of nonlinear behavior of three-dimensional offshore tubular frames. To this purpose the “tubular structural unit” is developed and used to analyze the entire behavior of the frame until final collapse. In this method large deflections, instability, plasticity and the effect of residual stresses and initial out of straightness are considered. Modeling of a structure is very simple since large structural units are regarded as elements. The required computer effort is very small while attaining a high degree of accuracy and reliability.