ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the basic design guidelines of the topside of an offshore platform while highlighting the adopted practices in analyses and design of the offshore industry. Commonly utilized international design codes, steel material types, and loading types encountered in designing topside, together with the design stages and software programs commonly used, are presented. A detailed methodology of stability analysis of beam-column connections is discussed and illustrated with a few examples and MATLAB® codes. Their analysis and design, discussed in this chapter, will be useful to practicing engineers. Exercise questions are given at the end of the chapter.
