A Three-Dimensional Geometrically Nonlinear Analysis of Pipelaying in an Ocean Environment

A three-dimensional analysis for pipelines suspended between the ocean floor and a laying barge or a stinger is presented. The analysis performed is capable of handling not only variations in bending stiffness, weight and buoyancy, crosscurrents and lateral bay drift, but also the effects of external hydrostatic pressure and buckling of the pipes. For this purpose a total Lagrangian geometrically nonlinear analysis in space. Examples are given which demonstrate the versatility of the analysis proposed.