Fatigue life of tubular joints in offshore structures is significantly influenced by the degree of bending (DoB). The DoB exhibits\nconsiderable scatter calling for greater emphasis in accurate determination of its governing probability distribution which is a key\ninput for the fatigue reliability analysis of a tubular joint. Although the tubular X-joints are commonly found in offshore jacket\nstructures, as far as the authors are aware, no comprehensive research has been carried out on the probability distribution of the\nDoB in tubular X-joints. In the present paper, results of parametric equations available for the calculation of the DoB have been used\nto develop probability distribution models for the DoB in the chord member of tubular X-joints subjected to four types of bending\nloads. Based on a parametric study, a set of samples was prepared and density histograms were generated for these samples using\nFreedman-Diaconis method. Twelve different probability density functions (PDFs) were fitted to these histograms. In each case,\nKolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to evaluate the goodness of fit. Finally, after substituting the values of estimated parameters for\neach distribution, a set of fully defined PDFs have been proposed for the DoB in tubular X-joints subjected to bending loads.
Loading....