Loading Platform A had been significantly damaged, they were cut off

near the mudline and overdriven with larger diameter piles.

DAMAGE ASSESSMENT
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All piles were fabricated in accordance with conventional offshore con-

struction practice. As shown in Fig. 7, steel plates were rolled into cans
whose seams were closed by longitudinal welds, and the cans were then
joined at their ends by girth butt welds. Welds of all piles were radio-
graphed by a third party to insure that they were in compliance with
accepted industry standards.
In the process of rolling individual pile cans, variation will occur both
in diameter and in roundness, particularly near the longitudinal seam
weld. At this point where plate edges close in the rolling process, there
is a bending stress discontinuity, and it is not possible to deliver full
curvature. Plate near the edges remains somewhat flat and a localized
peak is produced. When the cans are joined, these diameter and round-
ness variations will produce a mismatch at the girth butt welds. Mis-
match is discussed further in Refs. 2 and 4.
Following the failures of Piles B-5 and B-3 in Loading Platform A, short
stub sections containing near-mudline welds from selected piles, both
vertical and battered, were salvaged and returned from the field for study.
Fig. 8 (taken from Ref. 6) shows the failure surface of Pile B-5 as seen
on the top segment of the pile remaining after the girth butt weld parted.
Seam weld locations for both the top and bottom segments are indi-
cated. The smooth bright surfaces are characteristic of fatigue crack
propagation, and the jagged surfaces suggest final rupture by over-
stress. Failure surfaces of other piles displayed the presence of fatigue
cracks also.

FIG. 8.—Pile B5 Failure Surface on Top Segment above Crack

210

J. Waterway, Port, Coastal, Ocean Eng. 1987.113:205-214.