Lateral Bearing Capacity of Modified Suction Caissons Determined by Using the Limit Equilibrium Method

The modified suction caisson (MSC) adds a short-skirted structure around the regular suction caissons to increase the lateral bearing capacity and limit the deflection. The MSC is suitable for acting as the offshore wind turbine foundation subjected to larger lateral loads compared with the imposed vertical loads. Determination of the lateral bearing capacity is a key issue for the MSC design. The formula estimating the lateral bearing capacity of the MSC was proposed in terms of the limit equilibrium method and was verified by the test results. Parametric studies on the lateral bearing capacity were also carried out. It was found that the lateral bearing capacity of the MSC increases with the increasing length and radius of the external skirt, and the lateral bearing capacity increases linearly with the increasing coefficient of subgrade reaction. The maximum lateral bearing capacity of the MSC is attained when the ratio of the radii of the internal compartment to the external skirt equals 0.82 and the ratio of the lengths of the external skirt to the internal compartment equals 0.48, provided that the steel usage of the MSC is kept constant.     

Experimental Studies on Extraction of Modified Suction Caisson (MSC) in Sand by Reverse Pumping Water

A suction caisson can be extracted by applying reverse pumping water,which cannot be regarded as the reverse process of installation because of the dramatically different soil?structure interaction behavior.Model tests were first carried out in this study to investigate the extraction behavior of the modified suction caisson(MSC)and the regular suction caisson(RSC)in sand by reverse pumping water.The effects of the installation ways(suction-assisted or jacking installation)and the reverse pumping rate on the variations of the over-pressure resulting form reverse pumping water were investigated.It was found that neither the RSC nor the MSC can be fully extracted from sand.When the maximum extraction displacement is obtained,the hydraulic gradient of the sand in the suction caisson reaches the critical value,leading to seepage failure.In addition,the maximum extraction displacement decreases with the increasing reverse pumping rate.Under the same reverse pumping rate,the final extraction displacements for the RSC and MSC installed by suction are lower than those for the RSC and MSC installed by jacking.The final extraction displacement of MSC is almost equal to that of the RSC with the same internal compartment length.Based on the force equilibrium,a method of estimating the maximum extraction displacement is proposed.It has been proved that the proposed method can rationally predict the maximum extraction displacement and the corresponding over-pressure.     

Response of skirted suction caissons to monotonic lateral loading in saturated medium sand

Monotonic lateral load model tests were carried out on steel skirted suction caissons embedded in the saturated medium sand to study the bearing capacity. A three-dimensional continuum finite element model was developed with Z_SOIL software. The numerical model was calibrated against experimental results. Soil deformation and earth pressures on skirted caissons were investigated by using the finite element model to extend the model tests. It shows that the ＂skirted＂ structure can significantly increase the lateral capacity and limit the deflection, especially suitable for offshore wind turbines, compared with regular suction caissons without the ＂skirted＂ at the same load level. In addition, appropriate determination of rotation centers plays a crucial role in calculating the lateral capacity by using the analytical method. It was also found that the rotation center is related to dimensions of skirted suction caissons and loading process, i.e. the rotation center moves upwards with the increase of the ＂skirted＂ width and length; moreover, the rotation center moves downwards with the increase of loading and keeps constant when all the sand along the caisson＇s wall yields. It is so complex that we cannot simply determine its position like the regular suction caisson commonly with a specified position to the length ratio of the caisson.     

Evaluation of pullout load capacity of suction caissons in sand using a three-dimensional displacement approach

An investigation was conducted to obtain analytical solutions for the pullout behavior of a suction caisson undergoing inclined loads in sand. The inclined load is transformed into an equivalent load system in which the vertical, horizontal, and moment loads are applied on the center of the lid of the suction caisson. The vertical and lateral stiffness coefficients along the skirt of the suction caisson in sands are presented using the new three-dimensional elastic solutions taking into account the nonhomogeneous and nonlinear properties of the sand. The vertical, lateral, and rocking stiffness coefficients on the base of the suction caisson are presented considering the solutions of a hollow rigid cylindrical punch acting on the surface of a soil. The yield, pullout, and failure for sands with the nonhomogeneous and nonlinear characteristics are taken into consideration. The effects of the load inclination, the loading depth, and the aspect ratio on the pullout load capacity of the suction caisson are presented. Behaviour of the suction caisson in sand prior to failure is clarified from the relationship between tensile load, displacement, and rotation and that between depth, vertical pressure, and lateral pressure.     

H-M Bearing Capacity of A Modified Suction Caisson Determined by Using Load-/Displacement-Controlled Methods

This paper presents a series of monotonically combined lateral loading tests to investigate the bearing capacity of the MSCs(modified suction caissons) in the saturated marine fine sand. The lateral loads were applied under load- and displacement-controlled methods at the loading eccentricity ratios of 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5. Results show that, in the displacement-controlled test, the deflection-softening behavior of load-deflection curves for MSCs was observed, and the softening degree of the load-deflection response increased with the increasing external skirt length or the decreasing loading eccentricity. It was also found that the rotation center of the MSC at failure determined by the load-controlled method is slightly lower than that by the displacement-controlled method. The calculated MSC capacity based on the rotation center position in serviceability limit state is relatively conservative, compared with the calculated capacity based on the rotation center position in the ultimate limit state. In the limit state, the passive earth pressures opposite the loading direction under load- and displacement-controlled methods decrease by 46% and 74% corresponding to peak values, respectively; however, the passive earth pressures in the loading direction at failure only decrease by approximately 3% and 7%, compared with their peak values.     

Earth Pressure on Caissons in Marine Clay Under Cyclic Loading

Coastal protection is proposed to be made out of a contiguous caisson type of wall. These caissons can be designed to resist both lateral static and cyclic loading. With adequate depth of embedment, the walls can be designed to offer significant lateral passive resistance to counteract the lateral static and cyclic loading arising out of wave action. This article describes a set of laboratory tests on model caissons embedded into soft marine clay with different embedment depths. Specially designed earth pressure cells are embedded into the caisson at different depths. A pneumatic system was used to apply lateral static and cyclic loading. Test beds were prepared conforming to soft clay conditions in a test tank of appropriate size. The test results reveal that with this type of arrangement the variation in earth pressure with depth can be conveniently established. The earth pressure developed is related to the lateral load applied. The depth at which the maximum earth pressure occurs is same for both static and cyclic loading. Further, under cyclic loading there is no failure encountered even under cyclic loading level corresponding to 0.9 times the ultimate static lateral capacity.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">H-M</Emphasis> bearing capacity of a modified suction caisson determined by using load-/displacement-controlled methods

This paper presents a series of monotonically combined lateral loading tests to investigate the bearing capacity of the MSCs (modified suction caissons) in the saturated marine fine sand. The lateral loads were applied under load- and displacement-controlled methods at the loading eccentricity ratios of 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5. Results show that, in the displacement-controlled test, the deflection-softening behavior of load-deflection curves for MSCs was observed, and the softening degree of the load-deflection response increased with the increasing external skirt length or the decreasing loading eccentricity. It was also found that the rotation center of the MSC at failure determined by the load-controlled method is slightly lower than that by the displacement-controlled method. The calculated MSC capacity based on the rotation center position in serviceability limit state is relatively conservative, compared with the calculated capacity based on the rotation center position in the ultimate limit state. In the limit state, the passive earth pressures opposite the loading direction under load- and displacement-controlled methods decrease by 46% and 74% corresponding to peak values, respectively; however, the passive earth pressures in the loading direction at failure only decrease by approximately 3% and 7%, compared with their peak values.     

Experimental studies on sand plug formation in suction caisson during extraction

A series of model tests were conducted on Perspex-made suction caissons in saturated dense marine sand to study the sand plug formation during extraction. Suction caissons were extracted by pullout loading or by pumping air into the suction caisson. Effects of the pullout rates, aspect ratios and loading ways (monotonic or sustained) on the pullout capacity, and plug formation were investigated. It was found that the ultimate pullout capacity of the suction caisson increases with increasing the pullout rate. The sand plug formation under the pullout loading is significantly influenced by the pullout rate and the loading way. When the suction caisson is extracted at a relatively slow rate, the general sand boiling through the sand plug along the inner caisson wall occurs. On the contrary, the local sand boiling will occur at the bottom of the suction caisson subjected to a rapid monotonic loading or a sustained loading. Test results of the suction caisson extracted by pumping air into the caisson show that the pressure in the suction caisson almost follows a linear relationship with the upward displacement. The maximum pressures for suction caissons with aspect ratios of 1.0 and 2.0 during extraction by pumping air into the caisson are 1.70 and 2.27 times the maximum suction required to penetrate the suction caisson into sand. It was found that the sand plug moves downward during extraction by pumping air into the caisson and the variation in the sand plug height is mainly caused by the outflow of the sand particles from the inside of the suction caisson to the outside. When the suction caisson model is extracted under the pullout rate of 2?mm/s (0.28?mm/s for the prototype), the hydraulic gradient along the suction caisson wall increases to the maximum value with increasing the penetration depth and then reduces to zero. On the contrary, when extracted under the pullout rate of 10?mm/s (1.4?mm/s for the prototype), the hydraulic gradient along the suction caisson wall increases with increasing the pullout displacement. When extracted by pumping air into the caisson, the hydraulic gradient reaches the critical value, and at the same time, the seepage failure occurs around the suction caisson tip.     

海上风机吸力基础的水平受荷研究综述

吸力基础具有施工速度快、安装过程中受海况天气影响小且易于回收重复利用等优点,被广泛应用于海洋工程。当吸力基础作为海上风电塔架的基础时,常常承受较大的水平荷载,因此其水平承载力是设计的主控因素。介绍了海上风机基础的设计要求,分析了影响基础水平承载性状的因素,总结了吸力基础受水平单调荷载、水平循环荷载和不同荷载组合三个方面的研究现状。讨论了水平荷载的大小、水平加载的高度(偏心率)、循环荷载的频率、循环荷载的次数、循环荷载的幅值、循环荷载的方向性、竖向荷载对吸力基础水平承载性状的影响,考虑了水平荷载的非共线性,指出了目前研究的不足,明确了吸力基础水平承载性状进一步研究的方向,提出了供工程实践参考的建议。     

Experimental studies on the anti-uplift behavior of the suction caissons in sand

A series of model tests was conducted in sand to explore the anti-uplift behavior of suction caissons, considering the effects of aspect ratios, load inclination angles and loading positions. This paper emphasizes on analyzing the deformation characteristic and the mechanism of the suction caissons under various loading conditions. The movement modes of the suction caisson are different when the load inclination angle increases from 0° to 90° corresponding to various mooring positions. The pull-out bearing capacity decreases with load inclination angles increasing. When the load inclination angle changes from 0° to 60°, the bearing capacity reduces more significantly than that between inclination angle of 60° and 90°. While the load inclination angle is relatively small, the pull-out capacity of the suction caisson decreases after reaching the peak as the loading position moves downwards. Moreover, the optimum loading position locates between 2/3 and 3/4 of the caisson length. The optimum loading position is at the bottom of the caisson when the load inclination angle exceeds 60°. However, the influence of the loading position on the pull-out capacity of the caisson can be ignored while the load inclination angle equals to 90°. The pull-out bearing capacity increases as the aspect ratio increases but the aspect ratio has no effect on the deformation characteristic of the suction caisson.     

Response and capacity of monopod caisson foundation under eccentric lateral loads

Monopod caisson foundation is a viable alternative for supporting offshore wind turbines located at shallow water depths. This foundation system has to resist overturning moment generated due to resultant lateral load, arising from wind and water wave action, that can act at any loading height above the seabed. This paper presents results of a numerical investigation performed to determine the influence of loading height, caisson geometry and superstructure load on the ultimate lateral capacity, initial stiffness, and soil failure zone of the foundation, when installed in very dense sand. Both the ultimate and serviceable states of the caisson foundation obtained from the analyses are represented in terms of envelopes plotted between lateral load and overturning moment. Simplified expressions, which take into account the influence of caisson geometry, loading height, and soil properties, are also presented to serve as a preliminary base for design of the monopod caisson foundation.     

Assessment of cyclic response to suction caisson in clay using a three-dimensional displacement approach

An investigation was made to present analytical solutions of cyclic response to suction caisson subjected to inclined cyclic loadings in clay using a three-dimensional displacement approach. A model representing the relationship between vertical load and vertical displacement and that between lateral load and lateral displacement along the skirt of suction caisson subjected to cyclic loadings is proposed for overconsolidated clay. For the effect of vertical load on cyclic load capacity of suction caisson, using the Mindlin solution in the case of a vertical point load, the vertical stress of soil under the base of suction caisson is presented. For the stress state of soil beneath the base of suction caisson subjected to cyclic loading, the Mohr–Coulomb failure line and critical state line are presented and the relationship between total stress, effective mean principal stress, stress difference, and pore-pressure is elucidated. The comparison of results predicted by the present method for a suction caisson subjected to cyclic loadings in clay has shown good agreement with those obtained from field tests. Cyclic behavior of clay up to failure is made clear from the relationship between cyclic tensile load, vertical and lateral displacements, and rotation and that between depth, vertical, and lateral pressures.     

Numerical investigation on evolving failure of caisson foundation in sand using the combined Lagrangian-SPH method

Caisson foundations are often used in offshore engineering. However, for an optimum design understanding the failure process of a caisson during its installation and the subsequent external loadings is crucial. This paper focuses on the evolving failure of a caisson foundation in sand by advanced numerical modeling. A combined Lagrangian-smoothed particle hydrodynamics method is adopted to deal with the large deformation analysis. The method with parameters are first calibrated and validated by a simulation of cone penetration test in sand. The results of an experimental campaign of a caisson in the same sand are selected and validated for the numerical model. Then, more representative loading combinations are designated for numerical modeling of failure process and mode. Furthermore, three additional caisson dimensions D/d?=?0.5, 1.5, and 2.0 (changing the ratio of caisson diameter D to skirt length d while keeping the same soil-structure surface contact area) are simulated under six representative combined loading paths. Based on that, the influence of caisson dimension to the failure process and mode is investigated. All results are helpful to estimate all possible sliding surfaces under different monotonic combined loading paths for further limit analysis.     

Characteristic Test Study on Bearing Capacity of Suction Caisson Foundation Under Vertical Load

Suction caisson foundations are often subjected to vertical uplift loads, but there are still no wide and spread engineering specifications on design and calculation method for uplift bearing capacity of suction caisson foundation.So it is important to establish an uplift failure criterion. In order to study the uplift bearing mechanism and failure mode of suction caisson foundation, a series of model tests were carried out considering the effects of aspect ratio,soil permeability and loading mode. Test results indicate that the residual negative pressure at the top of caisson is beneficial to enhance uplift bearing capacity. The smaller the permeability coefficient is, the higher the residual negative pressure will be. And the residual negative pressure is approximately equal to the water head that causes seepage in the caisson. When the load reaches the ultimate bearing capacity, both the top and bottom negative pressures are smaller than Su and both the top and bottom reverse bearing capacity factors are smaller than 1.0 in soft clay. Combined the uplift bearing characteristics of caisson in sandy soil and soft clay, the bearing capacity composition and the calculation method are proposed. It can provide a reference for the engineering design of suction caisson foundation under vertical load.     

Model tests on installation and extraction of suction caissons in dense sand

A series of model tests were performed on steel- and Perspex-made suction caissons in saturated dense marine sand to explore installation and extraction behaviors. The extractions of the caisson were conducted by applying monotonic loading or by pumping water into the caisson. Responses of suction caissons to pullout rates, aspect ratios, and extraction manners were examined. Test results show that a cone-shaped subsidence region occurs around the suction caisson during the suction-assisted installation. The pullout bearing capacity of the suction caisson in sand is dominated by the loading rate and the loading manner. For the suction caisson subjected to monotonic loading, the maximum bearing capacity is reached at the pullout rate of about 20.0?mm/s. The mobilized vertical displacement corresponding to the pullout capacity increases with increasing the pullout rate. The passive suction beneath the suction caisson lid reaches the maximum value when the pullout bearing capacity is mobilized. In addition, during the suction caisson extracted by pumping water into the caisson, the maximum pore water pressure in the caisson is obtained under the displacement of approximately 0.04 times the caisson diameter. The absolute values of the maximum pore water pressures for the suction caissons approximately equal those of the maximum vertical resistances at the monotonic pullout rate of 5 mm/s. When the vertical displacements of the suction caissons with the aspect ratio of 1.0 and 2.0 reach 0.92 and 1.77 times the caisson diameter, respectively, the seepage failure occurs around the caissons. Using a scaling method, the test results can be used to predict the time length required for the prototype suction caisson to be extracted from the seabed.     

Analysis of pullout load capacity of suction caissons in clay by a three-dimensional displacement approach

A study was made to present analytical solutions of pullout load capacity for a suction caisson subjected to inclined tension in clay. The inclined tension on the skirt of the suction caisson is transformed into an equivalent system comprised of the vertical, horizontal, and moment load applied on the center of the lid. The vertical and horizontal stiffness coefficients along the skirt of the suction caisson in clay are presented by three-dimensional elastic solutions considering the nonhomogeneous and nonlinear property of clay. The vertical, horizontal, and rocking stiffness coefficient of the suction caisson on the base are presented considering the solutions of a hollow rigid cylindrical punch acting on the surface of clay. The envelopes of the horizontal and vertical ultimate load capacity for clay are presented. The yield, pullout, and failure for clay are taken into consideration. The effects of load inclination, loading depth, and aspect ratio on the pullout load capacity are shown. Behavior of the suction caisson in clay up to failure is investigated using the relationship between tensile load and displacement and that between depth, vertical, and horizontal pressure.     

Self-Weight Penetration Characteristics of the Suction Foundation with Different Diameters in Sand

During the self-weight penetration process of the suction foundation on the dense sand seabed, due to the shallow penetration depth, the excess seepage seawater from the outside to the inside of the foundation may cause the negative pressure penetration process failure. Increasing the self-weight penetration depth has become an important problem for the safe construction of the suction foundation. The new suction anchor foundation has been proposed, and the self-weight penetration characteristics of the traditional suction foundation and the new suction anchor foundation are studied and compared through laboratory experiments and analysis. For the above two foundation types, by considering five foundation diameters and two bottom shapes, 20 models are tested with the same penetration energy. The effects of different foundation diameters on the penetration depth, the soil plug characteristics, and the surrounding sand layer are studied. The results show that the penetration depth of the new suction foundation is smaller than that of the traditional suction foundation. With the same penetration energy, the penetration depth of the suction foundation becomes shallower as the diameter increases. The smaller the diameter of the suction foundation, the more likely it is to be fully plugged, and the smaller the height of the soil plug will be. In the stage of self-weight penetration, the impact cavity appears around the foundation, which may affect the stability of the suction foundation.

     

Accumulated Rotation of A Modified Suction Caisson and Soil Deformation Induced by Cyclic Loading

Modified suction caissons (MSCs) acting as offshore wind turbine foundations will generate the accumulated rotation under cyclic loading resulted from waves. The accumulated rotation and the range of soil deformation around the MSC under long-term cyclic wave loading were studied using 3-D numerical simulations. The Morison equation was adopted to calculate the wave loadings. It was found that the MSC accumulated rotation increases linearly with the increase of the logarithm of cyclic number. The normalized expression was proposed to reflect the relationship between the accumulated rotation and cyclic number. The soil deformation range around the MSC increases when increasing the cyclic number and loading amplitude. It can also be concluded that the accumulated rotation increases rapidly with this change of excess pore pressure in the first 4000 cycles. The responses of the MSC to wave and wind loads were also investigated. Results show that the accumulated rotation of the MSC under both wave and wind loadings is larger than that under the wave loading only.     

Large deformation finite element analysis of the installation of suction caisson in clay

The suction caisson (or called suction anchor) which is considered as a relatively new type of foundation of offshore structures, has been extensively studied and applied for offshore wind turbines and oil platforms. The installation of the suction caisson is of great importance in the design and construction because it can bring about several issues and further influence the performance of holding capacity in safety service. In this paper, large deformation finite element (FE) analyses are performed to model the installation of suction caisson (SC) by suction and jacking in normally consolidated clay. The penetration of the suction caisson is modeled using an axisymmetric FE approach with the help of the Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) formulation which can satisfactorily solve the large deformation problem. The undrained shear strength of the clay and elastic modulus are varied with depth of soil through the subroutine VUFIELD. The numerical results allow quantification of the penetration resistance and its dependence on the installation method. The centrifuge test and theoretical solution are used for the FE model validation. After the validation, the penetration resistance, the soil plug heave, and the caisson wall friction have been examined through the FE model. Based on the numerical results, it is shown that the ALE technique can simulate the entire suction caisson penetration without mesh distortion problem. The installation method can play an important role on the penetration resistance, namely, the suction installation reduces the penetration resistance significantly compared to the purely jacked installation. With a further study on the suction case, it is found that as the final applied suction pressure increases, the soil plug heave increases, while the penetration resistance reduces with increase of the final suction pressure. The effect of the friction of internal caisson walls has been also investigated and a conclusion is drawn that internal wall friction has a significant contribution to the penetration resistance and it can be implicitly represented by varying coefficient of internal wall friction. As for the penetration resistance, both jacked and suction installation have great dependency on the internal wall friction.     

Upper Bound Solutions for Uplift Ultimate Bearing Capacity of Suction Caisson Foundation

Suction caisson foundation derives most of their uplift resistance from passive suction developed during the pullout movement. It was observed that the passive suction generated in soil at the bottom of the caisson and the failure mode of suction caisson foundation subjecting pullout loading behaves as a reverse compression failure mechanism.The upper bound theorems have been proved to be a powerful method to find the critical failure mechanism and critical load associated with foundations, buried caissons and other geotechnical structures. However, limited attempts have been reported to estimate the uplift bearing capacity of the suction caisson foundation using the upper bound solution. In this paper, both reverse failure mechanisms from Prandtl and Hill were adopted as the failure mechanisms for the computation of the uplift bearing capacity of the suction caisson. New equations were proposed based on both failure mechanisms to estimate the pullout capacity of the suction caisson. The proposed equations were verified by the test results and experimental data from published literature. And the two solutions agree reasonably well with the other test results. It can be proved that both failure mechanisms are reasonably and more consistent with the actual force condition.