State-of-the-art of crack propagation modelling in tubular joints

Offshore structures are conventionally designed for a service life between 20-30 years and mostly used beyond their service life. They are operated up to the point where costs of operations, maintenance and repair exceed the revenue generated by the offshore structure. The cyclic nature of environmental loading induces multi-axial stresses with high gradients in welded tubular joints that lead to fatigue cracks emanating from imperfections in...