A new look at the phenomenon of offshore pile plugging

Abstract

Open‐pipe piles are widely used for offshore structures. During the initial stage of installation, soil enters the pile at a rate equal to the pile penetration. As penetration continues, the inner soil cylinder may develop sufficient frictional resistance to prevent further soil intrusion, causing the pile to become plugged. The open‐ended pile then assumes the penetration characteristics of a closed‐ended pile. The mode of pile penetration significantly alters the soil‐pile interaction during and after installation. This affects the ultimate static bearing capacity (mainly in granular materials), the time‐dependent pile capacity (in clays), and the dynamic behavior and analysis of the piles.

Following a summary demonstrating the effects of pile plugging, a review of the common view of offshore pile plugging is undertaken. The interpretation of plugging by referring to the average plug length has led to the erroneous conclusion that in most piles significant plugging action does not occur.

Establishment of an analogy between soil samplers and open‐ended piles enabled correct identification of plugging by referring to the incremental changes in plug length. Examination of case histories of plugging of offshore piles revealed that beyond a certain penetration depth‐to‐diameter ratio, most piles are plugged.     

Centrifuge modelling of lateral loading behaviour of a “semi-rigid” Mono-pile in soft clay

Abstract

Mono-pile foundations have been widely used for offshore wind turbines principally due to their convenient construction and cost-effective nature. So far, little attention has been paid to large diameter “semi-rigid” piles that have distinct behaviours from flexible or ideally rigid piles. This paper presents a series of centrifuge model tests to study the deforming and bearing characteristics of a 5.9 dia. semi-rigid pile under lateral loadings in kaolin clay. For monotonic loading, a modified p–y curve analysis model considering rotational soil flow near the rotation centre of pile was proposed, highlighting the limitation of classic plane-strain based plasticity models to evaluate the ultimate lateral pile-soil resistance. For cyclic loading, a strong correlation between the degree of soil degradation and cyclic load amplitude was identified. Besides, a degradation factor model, accounting for various cyclic stress levels and soil depths, was proposed, which can be used to assess the accumulative displacement of semi-rigid piles under cyclic loadings in soft clay.     

In Memoriam

Abstract

The engineering properties of deep continental margin sediments were determined on a worldwide basis. Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) core data and material were utilized from over 900 cores obtained from 89 sites, primarily on the continental margins. Cores were recovered from penetrations to 200 m in water depths averaging 3000 m. Supplementary laboratory testing on selected cores was directed toward determining index properties and shear strength properties of the sediments. The study included a literature review of deep‐sea soil properties, the results of which are to be used by DSDP to evaluate foundation conditions for reentry cones with long casing strings. The results will also be used for a feasibility study of an ultradeepwater marine riser and well‐control system. The marine sediments examined can be divided into three main types: clay, calcareous ooze, and siliceous ooze. Sediment distribution consisted of 48% calcareous ooze, 43% clay, 6% siliceous ooze, and 3% volcanic ash. Because of the sample disturbance inherent in the deepwater coring operation, emphasis was placed on analyzing sediment properties not significantly affected by changes in in situ stresses and structure caused by sampling. Averages and ranges in values of water content and unit weight are presented for the three main sediment types. Plasticity and strength characteristics are discussed in detail and the elastic and compression properties are outlined. The geotechnical properties of deep continental margin soils are summarized.     

Model experimental research on uplift single pile in calcareous sand of South China Sea

Vertical uplift static loading tests of single model pile were conducted in the in-lab calcareous sand and quartz sand by emulating practical condition of full-size piles in site. The settlement, lateral deflection, axial force, and friction distribution of the pile are analyzed for each physical test. The pile behaviors in calcareous sand and quartz sand are compared. From the test results, it can be found that the pile top displacement of uplift pile in calcareous sand can be divided into two stages: the pile–sand synchronous stage and pile–sand asynchronous (relative displacement) stage. Data from uplift tests show that the heave of calcareous sand around pile top is very small, which is resulted from the mutually restraint of surface particle. The mutual restriction of surface particle leads to “bottleneck effect” and strengthens ultimate side friction of upper pile segment. In addition, the shear dilatancy and particle breakage of calcareous sand lead to the upper harden and the lower soften of side friction, respectively. Cases of calcareous sand and quartz sand show different responses to pile forming methods, which due to the sands’ different characteristics of particle breakage when compressed as well as plastic deformation under loading–unloading conditions.     

Model tests on open-ended concrete pipe piles jacked in sand

Abstract

An experimental study of the performance of concrete pipe piles during installation under different penetration speeds and static load tests on the piles in sand is presented. The applied jacking force, the amount of pile penetration, length of soil plug formed and ultimate bearing capacity were measured during the model tests. The results showed that the concrete pipe piles were partially plugged and the behavior of the soil plug was significantly affected by the penetration speed. The lower the penetration speed, the larger the soil plug formed which in turn leads to a greater ultimate bearing capacity. The size of soil plug can be evaluated by the m value defined as the ratio of the volume of the soil plug to that of the penetrated pile wall. The relationship between the m value and the penetration speeds can be used to estimate the amount of soil plug and the depth of penetration for an open-ended concrete pipe pile jacked into sand.     

Jacked model pile shafts in offshore calcareous soils

Abstract

This paper describes the results of laboratory tests carried out on model pile shafts in a variety of reconstituted calcareous sands and on silica sand. The factors influencing both the skin friction under static loading and the degradation of skin friction under cyclic loading have been investigated. The grading and crushability of the particles appears to have a significant influence on both, with less favourable performance being found for uniformly graded crushable particles. Relative density and overconsolidation ratio also have some influence.

Under cyclic loading, the amplitude of cyclic displacement and, more specifically, the cyclic slip displacement, influence the extent of cyclic degradation of skin friction.     

Consolidation solution of soil around a permeable pipe pile

Abstract

In practice, how to quickly improve the bearing capacity of piles in a short time is of great significance. In view of this, a technique of setting grooves and installing PVDs (prefabricated vertical drains) at the surface of the pile is proposed in this investigation to accelerate the consolidation of the surrounding soil. A radial and circular consolidation model is established for permeable piles. The finite cosine transform, finite Weber transform, and discretization method are used to obtain a semi-analytical solution for the consolidation model with a mixed drainage boundary condition at the surface of the pile. The sensitivity of the consolidation process to the strip number and the width of PVDs is discussed. The results show that the technique of installing PVDs in piles could potentially improve the bearing capacity. When the area of drainage channels is fixed, the bearing capacity of permeable piles can be more effectively improved by using a higher strip number of PVDs and a smaller PVD width.     

Shaft capacity of pre-bored grouted planted nodular pile under various overburden pressures in dense sand

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a series of model tests performed to study the shaft capacity of pre-bored grouted planted nodular (PGPN) pile in dense sand. The influence of the vertical overburden pressure on the shaft capacity of the PGPN pile is also investigated based on the test results. The test piles were equipped with strain gauges to measure the axial loads during the loading process, moreover, a foam plate was buried beneath pile tip to eliminate the influence of tip resistance on the shaft capacity. Some conclusions can be drawn based on the test results: the peak skin friction of PGPN pile increases with the increase of vertical overburden pressure applied on the foundation soil, while the rate of increase decreases with the increasing overburden pressure; the surface of the pile–soil interface of PGPN pile is relatively rough, and significant dilatant increase in lateral stress occurs during the loading process.     

Implementation of state-dependent plasticity model in strain wedge model for laterally loaded piles in sand

ABSTRACT

The strain wedge model effectively performs nonlinear analyses of the lateral response of piles by using a nonlinear stress-strain relationship to describe soil behavior in the strain wedge. In this study, a state-dependent plasticity model has been implemented in the strain wedge model to calculate the stress-strain relationship for sand in the strain wedge. To complement this implementation, the effect of dilatancy on the shear strain is considered in the strain wedge. A full-scale test and a 45 g centrifuge model test on laterally loaded piles are used to validate the proposed method. The results show that the deflections and moments predicted by the proposed method accord well with those measured from full-scale and centrifugal model pile tests. Moreover, the combination of the state-dependent plasticity model and the strain wedge model allows for analyzing the lateral response of single piles using a unique set of model parameters for different relative densities of sands. In addtion, the stress-strain response in the strain wedge, not the dilatancy, dominates the soil resistance in the strain wedge and thus the lateral response of piles.     

Vertical vibration capacity of a single pile in dry sand

In this study, the dynamic response of pile foundation in dry sandy soil excited by two opposite rotary machines was considered experimentally. A small scale physical model was manufactured to accomplish the experimental work in the laboratory. The physical model consists of two small motors supplied with eccentric mass (0.012?kg) and eccentric distance (20?mm) representing the two opposite rotary machines, an aluminum shaft as the pile, and a steel plate a pile cap. The experimental work was achieved taking the following parameters into considerations: pile embedment depth ratio (L/d, where L is the pile length and d is its diameter) and operating frequency of the rotary machines. All tests were conducted in medium dense fine sandy soil with 60% relative density. Twelve tests were performed to measure the change in load transferred through the pile’s tip to the underlying soil. To predict precisely the dynamic load that will be induced from the rotary machines, a mini load cell with a capacity of 100?kg was mounted between the aluminum plate (the machine base) and the steel plate (pile cap). The results revealed that, before machine operation, the pile tip load was approximately equal to the static load (machine and pile cap), whereas during machines’ operation, the pile tip load decreased for all embedment depth ratios and operating frequencies. This reduction was due to the action of skin friction that was mobilized along the pile during operation, and as a result the factor of safety against pile bearing failure increases. For all operating frequencies and pile lengths, the factor of safety against bearing failure increased during machines’ operation, where the pile tip load became less than its value before starting operation. During operation, the skin friction resistance mobilized along pile length led to decrease the bearing load.     

A simplified calculation method for axial cyclic degradation of offshore wind turbine foundations in clay

Abstract

Pile foundation is the most popular option for the foundation of offshore wind turbines. The degradation of stiffness and bearing capacity of pile foundation induced by cyclic loading will be harmful for structure safety. In this article, a modified undrained elastic–plastic model considering the cyclic degradation of clay soil is proposed, and a simplified calculation method (SCM) based on shear displacement method is presented to calculate the axial degradated capacity of a single pile foundation for offshore wind turbines resisting cyclic loadings. The conception of plastic zone thickness R_p is introduced to obtain the function between accumulated plastic strain and displacement of soil around pile side. The axial ultimate capacity of single piles under axial cyclic loading calculated by this simplified analysis have a good consistency with the results from the finite element analysis, which verifies the accuracy and reliability of this method. As an instance, the behavior of pile foundation of an offshore wind farm under cyclic load is studied using the proposed numerical method and SCM. This simplified method may provide valuable reference for engineering design.     

Inclined loading capacity of suction piles in sand

A series of centrifuge model tests have been conducted on a model suction pile embedded in sand to evaluate its inclined pull-out loading capacity. This paper describes the centrifuge model tests, the analytical solution, and comparisons between the centrifuge model test results and the analytical predictions of the pull-out capacities of the suction pile under inclined loads. The main variables of the study are the load inclination angle and the point of mooring line attachment which varies from the top to the bottom of the suction pile’s side surface. Effects of these two parameters on the suction pile inclined pull-out loading capacity are described.     

Influence of cap size and strength on settlements of TDM-piled embankments over soft ground

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of pile cap size, soft layer thickness and pile strength on load transfer and settlement behaviors of embankments supported by floating and fixed T-shaped deep cement mixing piles and conventional DCM piles under volume control. Preliminary investigation is performed by a series of small-scale physical model tests. The results reveal that the differential settlement can be substantially reduced with an enlarging pile cap as a result of larger embankment load transferred to the piles. The extended numerical analysis results demonstrate that the pile efficacy is related to the individual pile bearing capacity, which, in turn, depends on the pile cap size. The soft layer thickness has an insignificant effect on differential settlement but a significant effect on average settlement, while the pile strength plays an important role in differential settlement only when the cap size is not very large. Shape factor of at least 3.0 is recommended to ensure the reduction in differential settlement and minimize the effect of the change in pile strength.     

Evaluation of liquefaction potential of marine sandy soil with piles considering nonlinear seismic soil–pile interaction; A simple predictive model

Abstract

An elastoplastic, dynamic, finite-difference method was applied to study the effects of nonlinear seismic soil–pile interaction on the liquefaction potential of marine sand with piles. The developed model was well validated using the centrifuge test. The results showed that acceleration, bending moment, and excess pore water pressure complied well with centrifuge test results. The effect of different affecting parameters on liquefaction potential was investigated using parametric study. Using a sensitivity analysis, the pile embedment parameter was shown to be the most influential parameter. Finally, applying the evolutionary polynomial regression technique, a new model for predicting the liquefaction potential was presented.     

Influence of large-diameter pipe pile driving on surrounding marine soils and adjacent submarine pipelines

Abstract

With the large-scale development and utilization of ocean resources and space, it is inevitable to encounter existing submarine facilities in pile driving areas, which necessitates a safety assessment. In this article, by referring to a wharf renovation project as a reference, the surrounding soil response and buried pipe deformation during pile driving in a near-shore submarine environment are investigated by three-dimensional (3D) numerical models that consider the pore water effect. Numerical studies are carried out in two different series: one is a case of a single pile focusing on the effect of the minimum plane distance of the pile–pipe, and the other is a case of double piles focusing on the effect of the pile spacing.     

Longitudinal dynamic impedance of a static drill rooted nodular pile embedded in layered soil

The static drill rooted nodular (SDRN) pile is a new type of precast pipe pile with equally spaced nodes distributed along the shaft and wrapped by the surrounding cemented soil. In this paper, the longitudinal dynamic response of the SDRN pile embedded in layered soil is investigated with respect to the complexity of the pile body structure and the pile–soil contact condition. First, the shear complex stiffness transfer model is used to simulate the radial inhomogeneity of the surrounding soil. Then, the governing Equations of the pile–soil system subjected to longitudinal dynamic loading are established. The analytical solution for the dynamic response at the pile head is obtained by the shear complex stiffness transfer method and the impedance function transfer method. The degenerate case of the present solution is compared with the published solution to verify its reliability, and the complex impedance of the SDRN pile is compared with that of the precast pipe pile and the bored pile. Finally, a parametric study is conducted to investigate the influence of pile–soil parameters on the complex impedance at the pile head within the low frequency range concerned in the design of the dynamic foundation.     

水射流辅助动力沉桩技术研究

水射流破坏桩内土塞辅助动力沉桩是一种有效处理土塞问题使桩达到标准贯入深度的辅助沉桩方法,而该项技术的关键是水射流对桩内土塞的破坏。借助理论分析、数值模拟和模型实验进行水射流破坏桩内土塞辅助动力沉桩研究。首先进行射流破坏土塞理论分析,定性地说明水射流破坏土塞能力与水射流压力、流量等参数有关;然后对不同形状喷嘴形成的射流的破坏土塞能力进行数值模拟,得到六种喷嘴射流作用下土塞内的最大、最小应力;再通过模型实验对有无射流辅助沉桩的沉桩锤击数进行对比,结果表明水射流辅助沉桩的锤击数少于无射流辅助沉桩的锤击数,说明水射流可用于辅助动力沉桩。最后设计出水射流破坏桩内土塞辅助动力沉桩工艺步骤。     

Lateral loading of a pile using strain wedge model and its application under scouring

The scour hole around a pile will reduce the capacity of a laterally loaded pile. The strain wedge model is capable to derive a p–y curve for the analysis of a lateral loaded pile on a nonlinear Winkler foundation. To improve and extend the ability of the strain wedge method, a modified strain wedge (MSW) method is developed, in which a nonlinear lateral deflection of the pile is assumed to describe the varied soil strain distribution in the passive wedge. And then by treating the soil weight involved in the strain wedge as a vertical load at the bottom of the scour hole, an equivalent wedge depth is obtained to consider the effect of scour hole dimensions on the response of laterally loaded piles in sand. The validity of the MSW model is proved by comparisons with a centrifuge test without scour. And its applicability in the problem of a pile with scour is performed by a comparison with a model test and a FE analysis. The analysis shows the pile displacement at the pile head with scour can be obtained by multiplying the corresponding deflection without scour with an amplification factor related to scour depth at large load level.     

Movement of large gas bubbles in unsaturated fine‐grained sediments

Abstract

Where undissolved gas occurs within fine‐grained marine sediments it usually takes the form of discrete bubbles that are much larger than the normal void spaces. The possibility of buoyancy‐induced movement of these relatively large bubbles must be included when considering the transport of gas through marine sediments. A theoretical analysis shows that, under static loading conditions, bubbles larger than a critical size should have sufficient buoyancy to move upward through a fine‐grained sediment stratum, whereas bubbles smaller than the critical size should remain fixed in position. The critical radius is directly proportional to sediment shear strength, and bubbles of a realistic size should move upward only in extremely weak sediments. Further theoretical analysis shows that the critical bubble size is reduced under cyclic loading conditions, but movement of typical‐sized bubbles should still be restricted to sediments of low shear strength. A simple laboratory experiment provides support for the conclusions of the theoretical analysis. The results indicate that buoyancy‐induced movement of relatively large gas bubbles in fine‐grained sediments is most likely to occur under storm loading conditions and is unlikely to occur at depths greater than a few meters below the seabed.     

排桩模型在"嵌岩"基坑工程中的应用

排桩支护方案应用于存在上覆软弱土层的"嵌岩"基坑中,通常面临"吊脚桩"问题,其设计计算在规范中无明确设计方法或计算模型。根据分步开挖工况不同,拟合工程实际,采取多种模型设计方法,最大限度地利用岩土体自身强度,分别以排桩模型、"吊脚桩"模型、复合土钉墙模型,等效荷载替代桩锚土体模型等多种计算方法综合确定设计参数。以清晰明了的数学模型确保设计结果的可靠性,使设计方案做到安全可靠、经济合理、方便可行。