The influence of pull-out load on the efficiency of jetting during spudcan extraction

Mobile jack-up drilling rigs are deployed at many locations during their service life. This necessitates retrieval of the platform’s legs and spudcan footings before the rig move. In soft soils, where the spudcans embed deeply, the extraction process can be difficult, time consuming and therefore costly. Water jetting systems, devised to ease spudcan extraction, are a common feature on modern jack-up units. However, their effectiveness in reducing the pull-out load required is questioned by the offshore industry. To investigate their efficiency, centrifuge experiments of a reduced scale spudcan model with jets have been performed at the University of Western Australia. The footing was extracted from penetrations of up to 1.5 diameters in normally consolidated clay. Similar to spudcan extraction in the field, these were carried out under load control, applying a constant extraction force. Both influences of pull-out load magnitude and jetting flow rate were investigated. The study demonstrates that jetting is efficient in facilitating spudcan extraction, as it reduces the required uplift load. Practical guidance is provided in applying the results to field conditions.     

自升式平台桩脚在含硬壳层地基中的插深分析

存在硬壳层的层状地基承载能力分析是自升式钻井平台桩脚插深分析的关键,但是目前对硬壳层承载能力的确定还没有成熟可行的理论计算方法。一般的针对非均质层状地基的承载力计算方法,因参数较多,计算步骤繁琐,很难广泛应用于实际的平台桩脚入泥深度分析中。文中主要介绍了存在硬壳层的层状地基承载力的分析方法与过程,根据应力扩散原理推导并做适当的简化得到硬壳层承载力修正方法。简化后的修正方法能满足一般硬壳层承载力分析的需要,并使平台插桩深度分析计算过程变得简便。通过在实际工程的应用,得到的实测结果与理论计算值也较为一致,说明了用此方法分析硬壳层地基的平台插桩是合理、实用的。     

海洋桩靴基础穿刺破坏实时预测研究

海上自升式钻井平台以其造价低廉、便于移动和安装的优势被广泛应用于海洋地质勘察、风电安装和油气开采等领域,其基础类型多为桩靴基础。为了保证平台能在恶劣的海洋环境中安全作业,桩靴基础需要贯入海床以下一定深度以获得足够的承载力。然而,当桩靴基础在上硬下软土层中贯入时可能发生穿刺破坏导致平台损坏甚至倾覆。已有的桩靴穿刺破坏分析方法基于预设的地层参数预测穿刺荷载,由于无法考虑海床中地层及土性的不确定性,其准确性有待提高。将桩靴基础贯入过程中的监测数据与穿刺破坏机理相结合,通过66组离心机模型试验结果表征土体不确定性的影响,发展贝叶斯预测模型,实现了峰值阻力和穿刺深度的实时预测。基于规范推荐的荷载扩展分析法和冲剪系数分析法,建立了适用于规范法的概率模型,采用该模型对上砂下黏土层中桩靴基础的穿刺行为进行了预测,结果表明所提方法的预测精度随着监测数据的增加而提高,预测得到的峰值阻力误差在10%以内。     

Design of A Bionic Spudcan and Analysis of Penetration and Extraction Performances for Jack-up Platform

The mechanisms of soil structure interaction have drawn much attention in the past years in the installation and operation of jack-up platform. A bionic spudcan produced by biomimetic of egg and snail shell is proposed, and the performance of the penetration and extraction are analyzed by numerical method. The geometric contour of egg and snail shell is measured, and its mathematical model is established respectively. According to the structure of existing spudcan of jack-up platform, three kinds of typical biomimetic spudcan are designed. Furthermore, numerical analysis models of biomimetic spudcan are established respectively to study the soil structure interaction mechanism in the process of penetration and extraction, and contrastive analysis of resistance characteristics are carried out. To conclude, the results show that the biomimetic spudcan facilitates the platform installation, and it is also beneficial to the improvement of the bearing capacity of spudcan.     

Modelling the drained response of bucket foundations for offshore wind turbines under general monotonic and cyclic loading

The response of bucket foundations on sand subjected to planar monotonic and cyclic loading is investigated in the paper. Thirteen monotonic and cyclic laboratory tests on a skirted footing model having a 0.3 m diameter and embedment ratio equal to 1 are presented. The loading regime reproduces the typical conditions of offshore wind turbines: very large cyclic overturning moment, large cyclic horizontal load and comparatively little, self-weight induced, vertical load. The experimental soil-foundation response is interpreted within the macro-element approach, using an existing analytical model, suitably modified to accommodate the footing embedment and the application of cyclic load. Details of the proposed model are provided together with evidences of its ability to reproduce the essential features of the experimentally observed behaviour. The results of the study aim at increasing the confidence in the use of the macro-element approach to predict the response of bucket foundations for offshore wind turbines, notably as the long-term accumulated displacements are concerned.     

Behaviour of rigid piles in marine clays under lateral cyclic loading

In the field of ocean engineering, pile foundations are extensively used in supporting several structures. In many cases, piles are subjected to significant lateral loads. The environment prevalent in the ocean necessitates the piles to be designed for cyclic wave loading. In this investigation, the behaviour of rigid piles under cyclic lateral loading has been studied through an experimental programme carried out on model piles embedded in a soft marine clay. Static tests were also conducted on piles embedded in a clay bed prepared at different consistencies suitable to field situations. Cyclic load was applied by using a specially designed pneumatic controlled loading system. Tests were conducted on model piles made of mild steel (MS), aluminium and PVC with wide variation in pile soil relative stiffness. For cyclic load levels less than 50% of static lateral capacity, the deflections are observed to increase with number of cycles and cyclic load level and stabilise after a certain number of cycles. For cyclic load levels greater than 50% of static lateral capacity, the deflections are observed to increase enormously with number of cycles. The results of post-cyclic load tests indicate that the behaviour under static load can improve for cyclic load levels less than 40% of the static lateral capacity. The variations in the load capacity due to cyclic loading are explained in terms of the changes in strength behaviour of soil.     

Undrained bearing capacity of spudcan under combined loading

The bearing capacities of spudcan foundation under pure vertical (V),horizontal (H),moment (M) loading and the combined loading are studied based on a series of three-dimensional finite element analysis.The effects of embedment ratio and soil non-homogeneity on the bearing capacity are investigated in detail.The capacities of spudcan under different pure loading are expressed in non-dimensional bearing capacity factors,which are compared with published results.Ultimate limit states under combined loading are presented by failure envelopes,which are expressed in terms of dimensionless and normalized form in three-dimensional load space.The comparison between the presented failure envelopes and available published numerical results reveals that the size and shape of failure envelopes are dependent on the embedment ratio and the non-homogeneity of the soil.     

Experimental investigation of jetting effect on spudcan extraction from soft clay

The jack-up unit may suffer difficult extraction from soft clay attributed to the large embedment and suction. To ease spudcan extraction, the jetting technique is extensively adopted. The jetting effect on spudcan extraction is investigated with a series of model tests. Firstly, the effectiveness of top jetting is investigated, and it is found that the top jetting is not effective in reducing extraction resistance. Secondly, the efficiency of different jetting procedures are studied. It is revealed that jetting prior to extraction reduces the suction by increasing the excess pore pressure at spudcan base. And the jetting after extraction begins reduces the suction by filling the gap formed under the spudcan with jetting water and eliminating cavitation. Finally, tests with different jetting times, jetting rates, jetting pressures, and jetting nozzle locations and numbers are conducted. It is found that the effect of jetting time converges as it increases. The flow rate of jetting prior to extraction has little effect on jetting efficiency, whereas the flow rate of jetting after the extraction begins has significant influences on the jetting efficiency. Jetting pressure also has great effect on jetting efficiency, and converges as it increases. The closer the nozzles are located to the spudcan edge, the sooner the post-peak extraction resistance decreases. And the jetting efficiency increases with the nozzle number. The findings from the experimental studies can serve as a reference for future studies on the operation and optimization design of a jack-up jetting system.     

黏土地基上海洋平台桩靴峰值阻力上限分析

在自升式平台的预压载过程中，桩靴在层状地基上较易发生“穿刺”现象，很大程度上影响着平台的安全运行。准确地分析桩靴峰值阻力，避免平台桩靴发生“穿刺”是非常重要的。采用极限分析上限定理，合理构建运动许可速度场，从理论上推导了层状地基上桩靴峰值阻力的上限解答。为了进一步验证峰值阻力理论解答的准确性，采用ABAQUS有限元软件构建了“桩靴—弹塑性海床”的三维数值模型，对桩靴贯入海床的过程进行了数值模拟，分析桩靴周围土体的塑性变形演变规律，研究土体的破坏机理。研究结果表明：推导的桩靴峰值阻力上限解答，能够较好地计算层状地基极限承载能力，通过与离心机试验和数值结果对比，计算误差在18%以内；给出的运动许可速度场能够较好地反映桩靴周围土体破坏模式；桩靴阻力达到峰值时，下层软土中的土塞高度约为桩靴直径的0.2倍。     

Measured and calculated spudcan penetration profiles for case histories in sand-over-clay

This paper reports five case histories of jack-up rig installation in layered soil profiles where a dominate feature was a stronger sand layer overlaying a weaker clay layer. In all cases a relatively continuous load-penetration profile was measured during installation of each of the three spudcan foundations. Summary site-investigation data is provided and consisted of mainly torvane, minature vane, unconsolidated undrained triaxial and pocket penetrometer tests for determining undrained shear strength of the clays and blow counts for deriving the relative density of sand. A statistical averaging method recommended in the InSafeJIP guidelines was used to provide the best fit of the undrained shear strength profile in the clay as this then allowed for spudcan load-penetration profiles to be estimated without introduction of user interpretation or bias. Sand properties were taken as provided in the original site-investigation report. Comparisons between load-penetration profiles calculated using the industry-standard ISO guideline, more recently proposed mechanism-based calculation method and three-dimensional large deformation finite element simulations are made with the measured data, leading to valuable insights for practitioners for estimating behaviour of jack-up installations in problematic sand-over-clay soil profiles.     

The Calculating Model of Structural Analysis for Jack-Up Rig Legs

- The selection or establishment of structural calculating model is a matter of primary importance in structural analysis. By analysing the irrationality of the calculating models used by some research organizations at home and abroad in structural analyses for truss jack-up rig legs, this paper introduces a new calculation model which is more reasonable. This model can simulate better the load situation of a rig reflecting more precisely the effects of the leg loads caused by the spring support of gearboxes of the jacking system and the secondary bending moment raised by hull displacement under extreme conditions. The rig conversion was completed in 1989. In July 1991 the rig safely stood the frontal hitting of Typhoon with the wind speed of 52 m / s, which shows that the checking on the structure is correct.     

Numerical analysis and centrifuge modeling of shallow foundations

The influence of non-coaxial constitutive model on predictions of dense sand behavior is investigated in this paper. The non-coaxial model with strain softening plasticity is applied into finite-element program ABAQUS, which is first used to predict the stress-strain behavior and the non-coaxial characteristic between the orientations of the principal stress and principal plastic strain rate in simple shear tests. The model is also used to predict load settlement responses and bearing capacity factors of shallow foundations. A series of centrifuge tests for shallow foundations on saturated dense sand are performed under drained conditions and the test results are compared with the corresponding numerical results. Various footing dimensions, depths of embedment, and footing shapes are considered in these tests. In view of the load settlement relationships, the stiffness of the load-displacement curves is significantly affected by the non-coaxial model compared with those predicted by the coaxial model, and a lower value of non-coaxial modulus gives a softer response. Considering the soil behavior at failure, the coaxial model predictions of bearing capacity factors are more advanced than those of centrifuge test results and the non-coaxial model results;besides, the non-coaxial model gives better predictions. The non-coaxial model predictions are closer to those of the centrifuge results when a proper non-coaxial plastic modulus is chosen.     

循环载荷作用下损伤船体梁极限强度研究

为了研究循环载荷作用下扶强材初始损伤对其极限强度的影响,进行了14组扶强材的循环加载试验和分析。构造了考虑材料累积损伤完整、断筋和大变形的扶强材单元极限承载力计算公式,提出了相应循环载荷作用下损伤扶强材单元的端缩曲线表达式和船体梁极限强度计算的简化逐步破坏法。编制了循环载荷作用下船体梁损伤极限强度计算程序,进行了船体梁极限强度计算,并与有限元结果进行对比。研究结果表明：改进的损伤扶强材模型可较为准确地描述扶强材材料损伤的完整、断筋和大变形的极限承载力退化情况,扶强材腹板断裂的损伤相较初始大变形及材料累积损伤形式承载力下降程度更明显;所提出的循环载荷作用下损伤船体梁极限强度计算的简化逐步迭代方法,能定量地计算扶强材在不同类型损伤下的极限承载力退化程度,具有较高精度,方便易行,可应用于工程设计。     

Experimental investigation on the effect of spudcan shape on spudcan-footprint interaction

The interaction between a spudcan and an existing footprint is one of the major concerns during jack-up rig installation. The influence of spudcan-footprint interaction has recently been well addressed by a number of researchers. A lack of investigation exists in mitigating spudcan-footprint interaction issues. In the field, stomping and successive repositioning is conventionally used in installing a rig adjacent to an existing footprint. Water jetting and perforation drilling are also sometimes suggested. This paper reports a measure for easing spudcan-footprint interaction issues, with the efficiency of a spudcan with 4 slots tested through model tests carried out at 1 g on the laboratory floor. The soil conditions tested simulate soft to moderate seabed strength profiles close to the mudline, varying the undrained shear strength. The most critical reinstallation locations of 0.5D and 1D (D = spudcan diameter) and existing footprint depths of 0.33D and 0.66D were investigated. By comparing with a conventional spudcan, the spudcan with slots reduced the induced maximum moment, horizontal force, and horizontal sliding distance by up to 80%, 40%, and 98% respectively. Critically, no additional operations, such as stomping/repositioning, perforation drilling, water jetting, are required to be performed offshore.     

混合破坏模式在自升式钻井平台插桩中的应用

自升式钻井平台插桩深度分析要求高,难度大,可检验性非常强。常规计算模式主要为“穿刺破坏模式”和“排挤破坏模式”。对于某些地质条件复杂的井场,按这两种模式分析计算的结果仍存在个别预测不准的情况。因此,如何提高钻井平台插桩分析的准确性,是目前需要攻克的一个技术难点。在总结工程插桩实践经验的基础上,提出了一种新的分析模式,即“混合破坏模式”。以南海一个工程实例进行具体分析,该井场应用“混合破坏模式”分析的插桩结果与实际结果较为吻合。并对数个复杂井场的实际插桩结果进行了统计分析,总结了桩端土体破坏模式的影响因素及“混合破坏模式”的特点,为在复杂地层中进行插桩分析提供了参考。     

Study on General Performance of Jack-up Under Elevated Condition

Method of checking for jack-up elevated performance including leg structure strength, fixation system or jacking system bearing capacity, pre-load requirements, spud can bearing capacity and overturning stability is suggested in this paper. As an example, a jack-up with truss legs is analyzed by finite element analysis method. This paper may be helpful to the rig owners, operators and designers.     

Lateral cyclic response of an aluminum model pile in sand

Lateral cyclic load tests were performed on an aluminum model pile in dry sand. Two levels of loading were adopted to represent different service load conditions. The maximum number of loading cycles was 1,000. From the test results, it was found that the even though in the service load condition, the pile response was still affected by cyclic effects and a larger load level would produce more significant influence. In a global point of view, the lateral displacement and maximum moment increased with loading cycles, while the secant stiffness within a cycle decreased with cycles. The cyclic effect was more significant on the lateral displacement than on the moment. In a local point of view, cyclic loading would degrade the equivalent subgrade stiffness for the soil shallower than about seven times diameter. In addition, the secant subgrade stiffness within a cycle increased with loading cycles. Some experimental relationships of lateral pile response and loading cycles were built and compared with those in the literature.     

Effect of embedment on the vertical capacity of bucket foundation in loose saturated sand: Physical modeling

ABSTRACT

Bucket foundations have been widely used for a variety of offshore applications. The effects of skirt length on ultimate bearing capacity of bucket foundation have been studied and reported in published scientific papers. However, few studies have addressed the behavior of bucket foundations in loose saturated sand. In this paper, a series of experimental investigations were performed to determine the bearing capacity of bucket foundation under uniaxial loading. The experiments were conducted on small-scale foundations under vertical loading in loose saturated sand. It was found that increasing the skirt length would enhance the bearing capacity of bucket foundation. As reflected in the present study, bearing strength might be enhanced more than 5 times in loose saturated sand in comparison to surface footing with equivalent diameter. Based on the experimental investigation, a depth factor was proposed to approximate bearing capacity of bucket foundations in terms of those for surface footing and embedment ratio. Moreover, the corresponding settlement of foundation at the failure load was found to increase with skirt length.     

Non-linear analysis of undrained cyclic strength of soft marine clay

Iwan models are used to simulate the non-linear and hysteretic behaviour of soils under cyclic loading conditions. However, the model in its original form cannot take into account the stiffness degradation which is observed during cyclic loading of soft clays. Studies show that the stiffness reduction (expressed as degradation index) can be represented as a function of the number of cycles and of a degradation parameter depending on the strain amplitude in the case of strain controlled cyclic loading tests. This degradation index has been incorporated into Iwan's series–parallel model as a single fatigue parameter to account for the degradation during cyclic loading. The comparisons made with the existing results of two marine clays tested under undrained cyclic triaxial and simple shear conditions provided an opportunity to understand the capability of the one dimensional model.