Estimation of excitation and reaction forces for offshore structures by neural networks

Abstract

Offshore structures are subjected to wind loads, wind generated wave excitations, and current forces. In this paper we focus on the wind generated wave excitations as the main source for the external forces on the structure. The main objective of the paper is to provide a tool for using deck acceleration measurements to predict the value of the force and moment acting on the offshore structure foundation. A change in these values can be used as an indicator of the health of the foundation. Two methods of analysis are used to determine the relationship between the force and moment acting on the foundation and deck acceleration. The first approach uses neural networks while the other uses a Fokker-Planck formulation. The Fokker-Plank approach was used to relate the variance of the excitation to the variance of the deck acceleration. The total virtual mass of the equivalent SDOF of the structure was also determined at different deck masses.