NONLINEAR WAVE FORCES AT HIGH FREQUENCY ACTING ON A TENSION LEG PLATFORM AND THEIR ROLE IN THE DIMENSIONING OF THE TETHERING SYSTEM

The paper describes a method for the determination of the fatigue life and maximum stress in the tethering system of a tension leg platform (TLP). The method, aimed at demonstrating the importance of some of the effects of nonlinear wave forces, was applied to a TLP developed by Tecnomare for Agip and intended for use in a deepwater field.