沙箱对桩腿耦合装置的影响研究

Study on the effect of sandbox on Leg Mating Units

桩腿耦合装置(简称LMU)在平台浮托安装过程中上部组块插尖与导管架桩管对接期间起缓冲作用,是海上浮装的最重要装置之一。运用非线性有限元软件ABAQUS,对相同尺寸、受相同垂向载荷作用的有沙箱和无沙箱的LMU分别进行了显式准静态和动态数值模拟,并将计算结果进行对比,以考察沙箱对LMU力学特性的影响。结果表明,与无沙箱的LMU相比,有沙箱的LMU能够承受较大的外载荷作用,可提升外套筒钢材的使用效率,较迅速地降低载荷转移作业过程中整个平台的运动速度,提高平台浮托安装过程中能量吸收速率,并且能减小LMU在动态过程中的最大应力。

The Leg Mating Unit （LMU） is one of the most important devices during the float-over process. It can cushion the vertical loads as the topside＇ s weight is transferred onto the jackets. In this paper, two LMU models are created, the size and the vertical load of them are the same. The only difference between them is that one has the sandbox and the other hash＇ t. The two models are simula- ted with quasi-static and dynamic solution by ABAQUS/Explicit respectively, and then the results of them are compared with each other so as to investigate the effect of sandbox on the mechanical properties of LMU. The comparison of the two indicates that the one with sandbox can endure larger force and its canister has higher use efficiency of steel ; and the one with sandbox can also reduce the speed of the platform more quickly and increase energy absorption rate during the installation process, and its maximum stress is much smaller than that without sandbox during the dynamic process.