Vortex-Induced Vibration Response Features of A Submarine Multi-Span Pipeline via Towing Tank Experimental Tests

In offshore engineering, the phenomenon of free span often occurs, and the pipeline may have multiple free spans adjacent to each other, forming a multi-span pipeline. The interaction of different spans makes the structural vibration characteristics more complex, which may change the fatigue characteristics of the pipeline and affect the safety of the structure. In this paper, model tests were designed to explore the vortex-induced vibration (VIV) characteristics of multi-span pipelines and investigate the multi-span interaction mechanism. The experimental study mainly focused on the dynamic response of double-span pipelines, and further extended to triple-span pipelines, hoping that the results can be applied to more complex environment. The effects of span-length ratio, buried depth and axial force on VIV of the pipeline were investigated and discussed. The dynamic response of the pipeline varied with the span length. There was obvious interaction between different spans of multi-span pipelines, and the pipe-sediment interaction obviously affected the vibration characteristics of pipeline. The differences of pipeline burial depth and axial force changed the structural stiffness. With the increase of buried depth, the response amplitude presented a downward trend. The spanwise evolutions were asymmetric caused by the pipe-sediment interaction and multi-span interaction. The results can help to identify multi-span pipelines in engineering, and realize the prevention and control of free spans.