National Bureau of Standards

The objective was to assess the possible use of tracer materials in welding consumables for detection of cracking in offshore structures. This trace material would be used only in certain interior beads of multi-pass weldments, thus would only be released into the surroundings if a crack or corrosion damage had progressed a sufficient distance into the material. Periodic scanning of the area adjacent to the defect would detect the presence of the trace material and signal the presence of a crack or corrosion of sufficient magnitude to be a problem.

This project is a continuation of damping measurements conducted by Vandiver, Project No. 2. The dynamic response characteristics of an operational single leg platform will be investigated in detail. The test platform is a single leg caisson structure which stands in 175 feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico, West Cameron, Block 532. Actual wind, wave, and response time histories recorded on the platform will form the basis for comparison of predicted and measured dynamic responses.