Determination of In Situ Sediment Shear Strength from Advanced Piston Corer Pullout Forces

The advanced piston corer (APC) has been used by the Ocean Drilling Program since 1985 for recovering soft sediments from the ocean floor. The pullout force measured on extracting the core barrel from the sediment is shown to correlate with the average shear strength of the sediment core measured in the ship's laboratory. A simple rule of thumb is derived relating the shear strength of the sediment to the pullout force. Multiple APC holes at individual sites allow the consistency of the pullout measurements to be assessed. The effects of different operational procedures during APC coring are also explored. Although generally applicable, the correlation between pullout force and laboratory measurements of shear strength breaks down for some APC holes, possibly because of the disturbance of some sediment types during the APC coring process. A better understanding of the physical process of APC coring, and its effect on the properties of the sediment both inside and immediately outside the core barrel, would indicate what confidence can be put on the measurement of pullout force as a way of evaluating the in situ shear strength of deep sea sediments.     

A hydraulic hammer corer utilizing hydrostatic energy for hard seafloor sediment coring

The paper presents the design and preliminary test results of a corer used for hard seafloor sediments sampling.Generally the sediment cores are provided by either gravity-type coring or deep-ocean drilling for a range of studies.However,in consideration of the operability and available sample length in collecting hard sediments,these methods exhibit no advantages.In this paper,a new corer which can exploit both hydrostatic energy and gravity energy for hard sediments coring is presented.The hydrostatic energy is provided by pressure differential between ambient seawater pressure and air pressure in an empty cavity.During sampling process,the corer penetrates into the sediment like a gravity corer and then automatically shifts to the percussion mode.The experiments in the laboratory indicate that the corer can complete 40 cycles in the sea with a cycle time of 2.8 seconds in percussion mode and impact the sample tube with the velocity of 0.2 m/s during each cycle.Besides,its adjustable falling velocity can make the corer achieve the maximum efficiency in coring different sediments.     

A new box corer design for the investigation of manganese-nodule distribution in a sediment column

A new, inexpensive and easy-to-handle box corer (47 × 47 × 114 cm³) is described. It is found to be extremely handy when operated from ships equipped with piston coring devices. The box corer uses the same piston core-head (～1000 kg) and the same trigger mechanism as used in piston coring. The whole operation is similar to that of piston coring. At three sites in the nodule-rich abyssal-hill province in the northwest Atlantic, the vertical distributions of the manganese nodules were obtained from the box cores. More than 75% of the nodules by weight is present in the top 10 cm of the sediment; 16–24% is present in the 10–20 cm interval and about 1% in the 20–30 cm interval. Very few nodules are found below 30 cm.     

新型全封闭刀口联合式管口封的设计及应用

重力活塞取样器是海洋地质调查不可缺少的调查设备，而管口封又是重力活塞取样器的重要部件。管口封的好坏不但影响到取样器的贯入深度和取芯丰，还影响到所取岩芯的质量．介绍了一种最近研制成功的新型全封闭刀口联合式管口封。海上实验在特定海区成功的获取了17．11m的长岩芯，取样率达91．3％，创造了我国海洋地质调查用重力活塞取样器获取岩心的最长记录。该设计已通过国家知识产权局批准授予实用新型专利。     

重力活塞取样器取样技术研究

现代海洋沉积物柱状取样技术是一套综合性的高新技术系统,它一般应该包括：优良的取样器具,方便灵活的取样操作设备,高精度的定位导航仪器和高分辨率的地形、地貌、地层探测系统等四个方面。我国和先进国家相比,取样操作设备方面差距最大,应该成为我国今后取样技术研究和发展的重点     

重力活塞取样器贯入深度研究

重力活塞取样器是一种重要的海底连续沉积物采集仪器,贯入深度和样品质量对海洋地质研究有着重要影响。通过对重力活塞取样器贯入过程建立能量守恒方程,得出贯入深度控制方程。已知取样器参数和土质类型条件,可计算取样管贯入深度,深度受取样器重量、体积、形状、取样管直径和沉积物类型等因素共同影响。已知取样器参数和贯入深度,可推测海底沉积物类型。     

A new coring method in deep water

The need for accurate and undisturbed core samples has led to the development of this new coring method with controlled penetration speed (Angel Descent), to minimize the sediment shortening and deformation. The results of the last campaign are herein discussed, analyzing recovery/penetration ratio, acceleration data of the corer during penetration, and logs of magnetic susceptibility on the samples obtained using two different methodologies in the same location. The purpose of this paper is to compare the performance of the two sampling methods, to identify which system allows for less axial deformation of soils and less distortion of the structures, to obtain a geometrically unaltered sedimentary sequence.     

Determination of In Situ Sediment Shear Strength from Advanced Piston Corer Pullout Forces

Abstract

The advanced piston cover (APC) has been used by the Ocean Drilling Program since 1985 for recovering soft sediments from the ocean floor. The pullout force measured on extracting the core barrel from the sediment is shown to correlate with the average shear strength of the sediment core measured in the ship's laboratory. A simple rule of thumb is derived relating the shear strength of the sediment to the pullout force. Multiple APC holes at individual sites allow the consistency of the pullout measurements to be assessed. The effects of different operational procedures during APC coring are also explored. Although generally applicable, the correlation between pullout force and laboratory measurements of shear strength breaks down for some APC holes, possibly because of the disturbance of some sediment types during the APC coring process. A better understanding of the physical process of APC coring, and its effect on the properties of the sediment both inside and immediately outside the core barrel, would indicate what confidence can be put on the measurement of pullout force as a way of evaluating the in situ shear strength of deep sea sediments.     

Significance of Deep Sea drilling project sediment physical property data

Sediment disturbance associated with the Deep Sea Drilling Project coring and core‐handling program are discussed along with the effects of sample disturbance on some measurements of physical properties. Information was obtained from shopboard observations and testing on Leg 43 and shore‐based testing of several sediment samples. Disturbance results from (1) remolding of the particle structure during coring, and (2) swelling induced by stress release and thermal expansion in the presence of excess water. Remolding is most significant to depth of 50–100 m, whereas swelling effects increase with coring depth. As a result, the shipboard data are not rep‐sentative of in situ sediment properties. The tendency is for porosity to increase and for bulk density to decrease with increased swelling. Strength is significantly reduced for swelled samples with further reductions from remolding. All observations and data suggest a need for improved coring capabilities and an in situ testing program.     

Pressure equalization tube for seafloor corers

A design is presented for a pressure equalization conduit to eliminate suction at the lower end of seafloor coring devices during extraction from the bottom. Tests performed in 1967 indicated that the conduit can minimize core disturbance that is otherwise induced by the suction created during removal of the corer from the seabed.     

Estimation of Residual Undrained Shear Strength from Gravity Corer Penetration Data

Residual undrained shear strength, s_{u_res}, is an important parameter for analyzing the response of structures buried within potentially unstable soil mass. A framework for estimating s_{u_res} of fine grained sediments from gravity corer penetration has been developed considering viscous drag during free fall of the corer through seawater and cohesive energy loss during sediment penetration. The procedure was used to estimate s_{u_res} using data from a submarine geotechnical investigation in western Canada. Comparison of the results with alternative estimates of s_{u_res} from miniature torvane tests on the gravity core samples and CPTs performed nearby reveals a reasonable agreement.     

An improved core catcher for the Kiel box corer (“Kastenlot”)

The optimum efficiency of the Kiel box corer (“Kastenlot”) is dependent upon certain mechanical properties of the sediments. To avoid this limitation, a new core catcher was constructed and has been tested for several years in both shallow and deep-water sediments. The essential part of this catcher is a reinforced canvas curtain which is pulled slantwise through the core before the corer is pulled out of the sediment.     

海底沉积物取样的扰动机理研究

海底沉积物取样技术对大洋诸多科学研究来说非常重要,各种研究目标的实现与沉积物样品的质量息息相关.在使用常规管状取样器对松软或轻微固结的沉积物取样时,沉积物样品的扰动总是不可避免的.以机械手持式沉积物取样器为原型机,建立了管状取样器的取样过程模型,分析了沉积物样品的扰动机理;采用球形孔扩张理论获得了沉积物土体受到取样管挤压扩张的理论解;结合太平洋具体沉积物土体物理力学参数,对管状取样器取样造成沉积物扰动的状况给出了一个定量描述,并且提出取样管壁的厚度是减小沉积物扰动的关键参数.     

Transport processes deduced from geochemistry and the void ratio of surface core samples, deep sea Sagami Bay, central Japan

Sagami Bay is a deep-water foreland basin with an average sedimentary rate of approximately 0.1 g/cm²/year. It is an appropriate area to study for better understanding of sedimentary processes in a setting with a high sedimentation rate. Seven multiple core samples, 30-50 cm thick, were obtained from Sagami Bay. Four of the core samples were taken from the Tokyo submarine fan system (Tokyo canyon floor, Tokyo fan valley and its levee, the distal fan margin). Two samples were obtained from the Sakawa fan delta and the adjacent topographic high. The remaining one was from an escarpment of the Sagami submarine fault. Variations in chemical composition can be recognized at every coring site. They show two different sediment sources: the sediments of the Tokyo submarine fan system and those from Sakawa fan delta. Further, there are differences in chemical composition between canyon floor and levees even within the Tokyo submarine fan system. The results suggest that the sedimentary process is strongly controlled not by vertical particle settling but by a hyperpycnal flow process. The proxies obtained from the core samples do not reflect conditions in the water column immediately overlying the sea floor. Rather, they are controlled by conditions on the adjacent continental shelf or/and shallow basins, which are the areas of primary accumulation.     

A simple and robust procedure for coring unconsolidated sediment in shallow water

This article describes a simple, quick, and inexpensive procedure for coring unconsolidated sediment in shallow water (<30 m from water surface). A ∼1 m core is retrieved by a PVC pipe that penetrates sediment in response to the percussive force of a hand-operated hammering tool or air hammer. After retrieving the first core segment, a casing is inserted to allow access to deeper sediment layers. Pulverized sediment produced during coring is removed by a water-lubrication system that is powered by an electric pump attached to a generator. Using this system and procedure, five 2-m-long cores with excellent quality were retrieved.     

Estimation of Residual Undrained Shear Strength from Gravity Corer Penetration Data

Residual undrained shear strength, s _{u_res} , is an important parameter for analyzing the response of structures buried within potentially unstable soil mass. A framework for estimating s _{u_res} of fine grained sediments from gravity corer penetration has been developed considering viscous drag during free fall of the corer through seawater and cohesive energy loss during sediment penetration. The procedure was used to estimate s _{u_res} using data from a submarine geotechnical investigation in western Canada. Comparison of the results with alternative estimates of s _{u_res} from miniature torvane tests on the gravity core samples and CPTs performed nearby reveals a reasonable agreement.     

Current methods for obtaining,logging and splitting marine sediment cores

The main types of deep-sea sediment coring devices are described and their relative merits and drawbacks are discussed. These devices include box corers, gravity corers, piston corers, giant piston corers and vibrocorers. Recent utilisations of kevlar and polyester coring warps are also discussed, since these are the only warps capable of handling the large weights associated with the larger devices. Recent developments in wholecore logging, including P wave, density and magnetic susceptibility, are described as are methods of subcoring and core splitting to obtain the maximum amount of detail on the split surfaces. The wholecore logs together with a good colour photograph of the recently split sediment surface provide a lasting unambiguous record of the core.     

Numerical Analysis of Gravity Coring Using Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian Method and a New Corer

The shortcomings of gravity corers in sampling marine sediments have been observed extensively in various field tests. In order to optimize the coring, this article provides an alternative numerical way to model the gravity coring and analyze the sampling effect. Based on this analysis, a new hydraulic hammer corer is devised. A coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian method with capability of simulating the problem involving extreme deformation, penetration is used to simulate the coring process. The results show that the hydrostatic pressure and deviator stress increase and reach their peak when the pile tip is slightly above or at the level of the observation point and then drop rapidly when the pile tip slides below the observation point. In addition, the stress path indicates that the soil element sustains plastic compression before yielding and then expands until recovering to the original state. The obvious “under-sampling” phenomenon is also well-captured by the finite element model.     

New series of corers for taking undisturbed vertical samples of soft bottom sediments

A new series of sediment corers--a Single Tube Gravity Corer and a Multiple Tube Gravity Corer has been developed for taking undisturbed vertical soft sediment samples, and a Hydraulic Pressure Multiple Tube Corer has been preliminarily designed. The Single Tube Gravity Corer can be operated by hand easily without using a winch, and it might be the simplest and the cheapest core sampler available. The Multiple Tube Gravity Corer was developed based on the Single Corer, which normally consists of three coring tubes, however, it is possible to install up to six tubes. The Hydraulic Pressure Multiple Tube Corer has been designed based on the Multiple Corer, which would take undisturbed sediment samples, and would be controlled by a computer and monitored by an underwater video camera. The pore water collection and the sediment Eh measurement-subsampling process through the transparent plastic tube wall is straightforward. Compared to other types of coring devices, such as the famous KC Kajak sediment core sampler made in Denmark; these corers have greater reliability, being simple in structure, relatively light weight, easy and efficient to operate, highly adaptable, and relatively inexpensive to produce.     

海底沉积物声衰减研究现状及展望

根据近年来海底沉积物声学物理研究发展的态势,介绍了与研究声衰减有关的海底沉积物样品采集装置和海洋沉积物声速结构模式,综合解析多种对海底沉积物声衰减等声学特性研究方法,并做出较为详细地比较和讨论,提出对海底沉积物声衰减研究在满足科研要求的同时也应符合国家标准和要求。同时,指出了研究海洋沉积物声衰减的必要性和重要性,强调了对海底沉积物声衰减研究的科学意义和应用意义。