A three-dimensional photoelastic study of welded tubular T-connections

Offshore oil drilling and production activities have occasioned rapid advances in the design of fixed structures fabricated from tubular members. An integral part of these so-called offshore platforms is the welded tubular connection, the structural joint between intersecting tubes. Theoretical analysis of tubular connections is very difficult because of localized bending of the chord (continuous member) and brace (discontinuous member). Thus, stress distributions in tubular connections have been determined by strain gage analysis obtained from steel models. This thesis is the first reported investigation of stress distributions of tubular connections performed by three-dimensional photoelasticity. The first portion of the thesis is devoted to (1) developing a suitable amine cured epoxy resin from which the connection components were cast, (2) machining the model components to finished dimensions, (3) assembling the models, and (4) stress-freezing the completed models. Each of these activities is discussed in detail and recommended practices set forth. [...]