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.     

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.     

Large-scale experimental investigation of the installation of suction caissons in silt sand

Offshore wind power is a rapidly growing area of electricity in China. In the present paper, interaction mechanisms between the caisson for wind turbines and saturated silt sand are investigated with laboratory tests based on two different installation methods, jacking installation and suction installation. For the jacking installation process, the results indicate that the soil pressures inner and outer the skirt of the caisson vary with a similar feature and the magnitudes of the two are nearly balanced. The tip resistance plays a key role in the total jacking installation resistance. This paper examines the predictive performance of q_c method and API approach for jacking installation resistance. It is demonstrated that the q_c method provides better predictions. The resistance coefficients are recommended. For the case of suction installation, however, the changes of soil pressures inner and outer the skirt are contrasting. Specifically, the inner pressure and tip resistance fall dramatically, but the outer pressure increases when suction is applied. Seepage effect is found to be an important mechanism for the installation of suction caisson. The reduction ratios of the inner friction and tip resistance follow a power-function with the normalized suction. Based on the test results, a prediction method for the required suction has been developed and evaluated.     

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.     

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.     

Analytical and experimental studies on installation of a suction caisson with tampered tip in clay

Concrete suction caissons have been successfully used as breakwaters or seawalls in recent years. The relative large wall thickness-to-diameter ratio of a concrete caisson can lead to the formation of a full soil heave plug that may cause difficulties in the installation of concrete caisson in clay. One way to overcome this limitation is to use a tampered tip for the caisson wall. An analytical method is proposed in this article to calculate the minimum suction pressure required to penetrate a caisson and the maximum allowable suction pressure that can be applied to avoid too much soil heave plug during the installation of the suction caisson. Four model tests were conducted in normally consolidated clay to study the installation process of a concrete suction caisson with tampered tip and to verify the proposed analytical method. The height of the soil heave plug in the caisson with a tampered tip is observed to be about half of that in the caisson with a flat tip.     

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.     

Load-bearing behavior of suction bucket foundations in sand

Suction buckets are a promising foundation solution for offshore wind energy systems. The bearing behavior of monopod buckets under drained monotonic loading in very dense and medium dense sand is investigated in this study by means of numerical simulation with the finite element method. Special focus is given to the ultimate capacity and the initial stiffness of the bucket-soil foundation system. The numerical model is validated by comparison with field test results. The bearing behavior of the structure is explained through an evaluation of a reference system. It is shown that the bucket experiences a heave during horizontal loading, which leads to the formation of a gap between the bucket lid and the soil with increasing load. At large loads and rotations close to failure of the system there is no contact between lid and soil, and the whole load is transferred to the soil via the bucket skirt. A parametric study shows how the ultimate capacity and initial stiffness of the system depend on the bucket dimensions and loading conditions, i.e. load eccentricity. Normalized equations for ultimate capacity and initial stiffness are derived from the numerical simulation results, which can be used in the scope of a preliminary design for buckets in sand.     

海上风电吸力基础在分层土中的沉贯特性研究综述

吸力基础与海洋工程大直径钢桩相比,具有成本低、安装周期短、对环境影响小、不受海况影响及可回收再利用等优点,近年来在海上风电工程中得到推广应用。吸力基础沉贯至海床预定位置,是其发挥承载力和确保服役稳定性的前提。海床地基土体常以分层土形式分布,且各层土体强度、压缩性和渗透性等存在显著差别,导致吸力基础吸力沉贯机理非常复杂。明确吸力基础在分层土中沉贯特性,有助于指导吸力基础在海上风电工程中的推广应用。对目前吸力基础在分层土中沉贯特性研究进行综述和总结,归纳了其沉贯机理研究进展,并对影响吸力基础在分层土中沉贯因素进行了分析;提出了分层土中吸力基础沉贯的研究方向和改进的沉贯方法。     

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.     

混合土层吸力筒沉贯阻力算法研究及应用

为补充DNVGL-RP-C212规范关于混合土层内吸力筒沉贯阻力计算参数的不确定描述,基于长乐外海风电场多个吸力筒基础的沉贯负压监测成果,对黏土—砂混合土层内吸力筒沉贯阻力算法进行研究。提出了基于黏粒含量确定侧阻力修正系数kf的算法,引入桩基工程中基于静力触探试验（CPT）的fs计算桩侧剪切强度的经验算法,并对其进行修正,用于计算吸力筒的沉贯侧阻力。对两种算法的准确性进行了验证,对其可靠性进行比较,提出了以前者计算结果为准,后者计算结果作为校核依据的建议。     

Application of High Energy Dynamic Compaction in Coastal Reclamation Areas

High energy dynamic compaction (HEDC) is adopted in a coastal reclamation area because the grain size of backfilled soil mostly ranges between 20 cm and 100 cm. The in situ tests for evaluating the effectiveness of HEDC were performed on the backfilled soil ground. The crater depth per drop and the whole test zone elevations before and after HEDC were measured and analyzed. Dynamic penetration tests and spectral analysis of surface wave (SASW) tests were used for investigating the improvement depth. Furthermore, the allowable bearing capacity of HEDC treated ground was determined based on the results of plate-load tests. It was found that HEDC did not cause the ground surface heave during construction, and was more effective than low energy dynamic compaction (LEDC) in terms of applied energy utilization. Based on the test results, the improvement depth of HEDC at this site was not less than 14 m, and there was no obvious weak layer within the range of improvement depth. The allowable bearing capacities were larger than 160 kPa. The investigation results indicate that the HEDC technique is an effective way for improving backfilled coarse-grained soil in coastal reclamation areas. This technique helps to achieve both greater improvement depths and higher ground bearing capacities as compared with LEDC.     

黏土中隔舱吸力式钢圆筒安装及水平受荷试验研究

近年来大直径钢圆筒结构在离岸人工岛工程中得到应用,如港珠澳大桥人工岛即采用振动下沉的方式安装钢圆筒,该方法对施工条件、装备以及施工控制技术要求较高。提出一种新型隔舱吸力式钢圆筒结构,在钢圆筒内部设置隔舱板,将结构分为上下两个隔舱,通过对下舱抽气实现隔舱吸力式钢圆筒在负压作用下的下沉安装。设计了隔舱吸力式钢圆筒安装及水平承载力模型试验,对比了负压贯入的隔舱吸力式钢圆筒和压力贯入的传统钢圆筒结构的贯入阻力及承载特性,分析了改变隔舱吸力式钢圆筒上下舱高度比L₁/L₂对其沉贯过程及承载特性的影响。结果表明,采用负压吸力沉贯的隔舱吸力式钢圆筒相比于采用压力贯入的传统钢圆筒结构的贯入阻力减小,水平极限承载力提高。在极限水平荷载作用下,随着隔舱吸力式钢圆筒的L₁/L₂从2.28减小到1.00、0.56,转动中心位置上移,水平极限承载力及弯矩承载力得到显著提高。     

Penetration response of spudcans in layered sands

The behaviour of spudcan foundations during the installation and preloading in two-layer sand sediments was investigated through large deformation finite element (LDFE) analyses. The LDFE analyses were carried out using the coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian approach, modifying Mohr-Coulomb soil model to capture hardening and subsequent softening effects of sand. Parametric analyses were undertaken varying the top layer thickness, relative density of sand and spudcan diameter. Both loose to medium dense-over-dense and dense-over-loose to medium dense sand deposits were explored. The results showed that, for the investigated relatively thin top layer thickness of ≤ 5 m, spudcan behaviour was dictated by the bottom sand layer with a minimal influence of the top layer. For assessing the penetration resistance profile in two-layer sands, the performance of the ISO, SNAME, InSafeJIP, and other existing theoretical design methods were evaluated.     

Components of suction caisson capacity measured in axial pullout tests

Suction caissons are the foundation of choice for offshore structures in deep water. Systematic study of caisson behavior is relegated to the laboratory due to the high cost of full-scale testing. Our laboratory caisson was installed in normally consolidated clay using dead weight and suction. Tensile axial capacity was measured with the top cap vented or sealed, and with the soil undrained or drained. For the common case of rapid pullout with a sealed top, the test results indicate an external side resistance factor (α) of 0.5–0.8 and a reverse end bearing factor (N_c) of 13–21.     

Investigation of scour effects on lateral behaviors of suction caisson

ABSTRACT

The use of suction caissons can reduce the development costs of offshore wind energy and has broad application prospects. However scour around marine foundations is inevitable, it gravely affects the stability of marine engineering. Therefore, there is an urgent need to study the weakening effects of scour on suction caisson. In this study, the variation trends of remaining soil parameters (the effective unit weight and the peak effective friction angle) after scour are examined with consideration of the dilatancy and stress history of sandy silt. It is found that the parameters of shallow soil change considerably after scour, and the larger the scour depth, the greater is the change in the parameters. However, the deep soil is less affected. On the basis of these findings, scour effects on the ultimate moment capacity of suction caisson are studied. The ultimate moment capacity is found to greatly reduce under scour, and its calculated value is larger than the actual value when the effects of dilatancy and stress history are ignored. To simplify calculation, it is feasible to replace the ultimate moment capacity when both dilatancy and stress history are considered with that when only dilatancy is considered.     

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.     

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.     

Earth Pressure Distribution and Sand Deformation Around Modified Suction Caissons (MSCs) Under Monotonic Lateral Loading

The modified suction caisson(MSC) is a novel type of foundation for ocean engineering, consisting of a short external closed-top cylinder-shaped structure surrounding the upper part of the regular suction caisson(RSC). The MSC can provide larger lateral bearing capacity and limit the deflection compared with the RSC. Therefore, the MSC can be much more appropriate to use as an offshore wind turbine foundation. Model tests on the MSC in saturated sand subjected to monotonic lateral loading were carried out to investigate the effects of external structure sizes on the sand surface deformation and the earth pressure distribution along the embedded depth. Test results show that the deformation range of the sand surface increases with the increasing width and length of the external structure. The magnitude of sand upheaval around the MSC is smaller than that of the RSC and the sand upheaval value around the MSC in the loading direction decreases with the increasing external structure dimensions. The net earth pressure in the loading direction acting on the internal compartment of the MSC is smaller than that of the RSC at the same embedded depth. The maximum net earth pressure acting on the external structure outer wall in the loading direction is larger than that of the internal compartment, indicating that a considerable amount of the lateral load and moment is resisted by the external skirt structure.     

Numerical investigation on the penetration of gravity installed anchors by a coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian approach

Gravity installed anchors (GIAs) are released from a height of 30–150 m above the seabed, achieving velocities up to 19–35 m/s at the seabed, and embed to depths of 1.0–2.4 times the anchor length. Challenges associated with GIAs include the prediction of anchor initial embedment depth, which determines the holding capacity of the anchor. Based on the coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian approach, a numerical framework is proposed in this paper to predict the embedment depth of GIAs, considering the effects of soil strain rate, soil strain-softening and hydrodynamic drag (modeled using a concentrated force), with the anchor-soil friction described appropriately. GIAs are influenced by the hydrodynamic drag before penetrating into the soil completely, hence the anchor accelerates less than the previous investigations in shallow penetration, even decelerates directly at the terminal impact velocity. The hydrodynamic drag has more influence on OMNI-Max anchors (with an error of ∼4.5%) than torpedo anchors, and the effect becomes more significant with increasing impact velocity. An extensive parametric study is carried out by varying the impact velocity, strain rate and strain-softening parameters, frictional coefficient, and soil undrained shear strength. It is concluded that the dominant factor affecting the penetration is the soil undrained shear strength, then are the impact velocity, strain rate dependency and frictional coefficient, and the minimal is the strain-softening of soil. In addition, although the strain rate dependency is partly compensated by the softening, the anchor embedment depth accounting for the effects of strain rate and strain-softening is lower than that for ideal Tresca soil. Strain rate dependency dominates the combined effects of strain rate and strain-softening in the dynamic installation of GIAs, on which should pay more attention, especially for the calibration of the related parameters and the measured solutions. In the end, the theoretical model based on the bearing resistance method is extended by accounting for the hydrodynamic drag effect.