Office of Naval Research

This is a Joint Industry Project (JIP) with eight oil companies as participants. The objective was to conduct an international workshop on sea ice mechanics and ice modeling. The workshop focused on the current state of practice and future research needs relative to offshore oil and gas facilities. The workshop also reviewed the results of the Office of Naval Research Sea Ice Mechanics Initiative (SIMI). A significant amount of new Arctic field data and modeling results are now available as a result of the SIMI program.

Conduct a comprehensive review of the research and development programs aimed at Arctic undersea structures inspection and the types of NDE equipment necessary for present and future undersea structures inspection.

The objective was to show that a microprocessor, when used with a ultrasonic flaw detector, can reliably regulate an ultrasonic inspection process. The project is divided into two parts; the microprocessor systems development for ultrasonic testing and analysis and joint inspection concepts for offshore structures.

This was a joint Industry Project (JIP). The principal investigator is serving as an agent for a joint, Office of Naval Research and U.S. Geological Survey program. The program will independently evaluate the applicability of several nondestructive examination (NDE) techniques for detecting offshore structural failures. (See Projects Nos. 23, 33, and 41).

This was a joint Industry Project (JIP); to conduct a laboratory study of vibration response of a scale model of an offshore tower subjected to random excitation. The random decrement technique will be applied to the recorded and filtered vibration response data to establish a set of signatures. From these signatures the sensitivity of the signatures to induced fatigue cracks of various lengths and locations can be studied.

The objective was a technology summary of the applicability of optical pattern recognition technology for typical U.S. Geological Survey underwater data requirements.

Jointly funded with the Department of Energy to advise on research, underwater inspection and interagency cooperation.

This was an experimental investigation of the refraction of surface waves from a localized area of the open ocean for purposes of launching and retrieving divers and submersibles as well as smoothing water where divers are working.

To harness the destructive forces of cavitation erosion in a water jet nozzle for cleaning underwater structural joints.

A nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technique for detecting incipient cracking was developed by monitoring the internal damping characteristics of a structure. The application is being applied to offshore structures as a means for locating joints which are fatiguing and for monitoring and predicting structural life without putting personnel into the water. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) Structures Program is funding a computer-assisted NDE adjunct to this program.