Displacement-Controlled Nonlinear Analysis of Offshore Platform Topside Under Accidental Loads

The offshore platform's topside is vulnerable to accidental loads, including impact and blast loads that arise from hydrocarbon explosions. In addition, higher stresses are developed on members under the wind and wave loads. Recent studies show the effective use of functionally graded materials (FGM) for marine applications under high pressure and temperature. In the current study, FGM comprising carbon-manganese steel and duplex stainless steel is used in members prone to hydrocarbon explosion. Topside with two combinations, FGM and X52 steel, and X52 steel alone are compared. A displacement-controlled nonlinear pushover analysis carried out on the offshore topside with FGM and X52 steel illustrates the advantage of using FGM in probable regions of hydrocarbon explosion. A significant reduction in plastic hinge formations is a clear manifestation of using FGM as the structural material, as it showed increased load capacity compared to X52 steel under lateral loads.