Strength analysis of jack-up cantilever beam and load test research

The cantilever beam is the key part of a jack-up drilling unit. The structural strength of the cantilever beam has a significant effect on the safety and the performance of the unit. Take a 400 ft jack-up drilling unit cantilever beam as an example,the finite element calculation of it was carried out by using MSC.Patran / Nastran. Based on the ABS MODU,the structural strength was checked for most dangerous load cases and as a result,the areas with high stresses were found. Meanwhile,the deformation of the cantilever beam was also obtained from the finite element analysis and it was compared with this from load test. The accuracy of the finite element method was proved. It provides guidance for structural design of the cantilever beam and load test.