ABSTRACT
The paper summarizes the observations of the impact response of tubular K-joint in the offshore platforms by means of experimental and numerical studies. The structural response is investigated in a drop weight impact testing with three different impact energies, and the numerical models are then developed by commercial software of LS-DYNA. The discretization of the impact responses given by various material models commonly selected for structural crashworthiness assessments is evaluated, and a discussion on the reliability of the selected material models is also conducted in the numerical analysis. It is demonstrated that precise definition of the material characterization is most important when investing the impact characteristics of K joint structures.
