Study on the effect of sandbox on Leg Mating Units

The Leg Mating Unit(LMU) is one of the most important devices during the float-over process.It can cushion the vertical loads as the topside's weight is transferred onto the jackets.In this paper,two LMU models are created,the size and the vertical load of them are the same.The only difference between them is that one has the sandbox and the other hasn't.The two models are simulated with quasi-static and dynamic solution by ABAQUS/Explicit respectively,and then the results of them are compared with each other so as to investigate the effect of sandbox on the mechanical properties of LMU.The comparison of the two indicates that the one with sandbox can endure larger force and its canister has higher use efficiency of steel;and the one with sandbox can also reduce the speed of the platform more quickly and increase energy absorption rate during the installation process,and its maximum stress is much smaller than that without sandbox during the dynamic process.