Coupled analysis for response and instability of sloping seabed under wave action

Wave-induced instability of seabed may cause damage to coastal and offshore structures. This issue has been investigated mostly for mildly sloping ($<5^{°}$) seabed considering uncoupled or one-way coupled response of wave and seabed interaction. However, some of the marine structures are founded on seabed with steeper slopes. In this study, the wave-induced response and instability of sloping seabed are evaluated using a coupled finite element model. The interaction between fluid and porous seabed accounting for the effect of fluid motion on the seabed response, and conversely the effect of seabed response on the fluid motion (but not on the surface wave profile) is considered. The results indicate that the system response (fluid pressure, stresses, etc.) and the extent of instantaneously liquefied zone within the sloping seabed with significant steepness are lesser than those for horizontal seabed. Moreover, for typical sediment and wave characteristics, for the flat seabed, the response obtained from fully coupled analysis is not significantly different from those obtained by uncoupled analysis. For the sloping bed, such difference is slightly greater as compared to that for the flat bed.     

Behavior of drag anchor in clay with linearly increasing shear strength under unidirectional and combined loading

Drag anchor is a widely used economical anchor option for offshore floating structures. The anchor behavior under unidirectional loading and combined loading is important for anchor selection. The anchor behavior under combined loading, characterized by the yield envelope, can also be used for the prediction of anchor installation, which is still an issue in anchor design. However, most existing studies on anchor capacity are for plate anchors which focused only on the anchor pullout capacity in soil with uniform shear strength. The behavior of drag anchor under unidirectional and combined loading in soil with linearly increasing shear strength profile is seldom investigated. The current 2D finite element studies investigate the anchor behavior for a horizontal anchor fluke in clay with linearly increasing shear strength under unidirectional vertical, horizontal and rotational loadings first. Then based on the results of anchor unidirectional loading behavior, the yield envelopes for anchor under combined loading for both shallow and deep embedded flukes are studied. The effect of anchor embedment depth, soil non- homogeneity, soil overburden pressure and the soil/anchor interface breakaway conditions are studied to provide insight for drag anchor design.     

The effects of blade twist and nacelle shape on the performance of horizontal axis tidal current turbines

The paper presents the effects of blade twist and nacelle shape on the performance of horizontal axis tidal current turbines using both analytical and numerical methods. Firstly, in the hydrodynamic design procedure, the optimal profiles of untwisted and twisted blades and their predicted theoretical turbine performance are obtained using the genetic algorithm method. Although both blade profiles produce desired rated rotational speed, the twisted blade achieves higher power and thrust performance. Secondly, numerical simulation is performed using sliding mesh technique to mimic rotating turbine in ANSYS FLUENT to validate the analytical results. The Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) approximation of the turbulence parameters is applied to obtain the flow field around the turbine. It is found that power and axial thrust force from BEMT (Blade Element Momentum Theory) method are under-predicted by 2% and 8% respectively, compared with numerical results. Afterwards, the downstream wake field of the turbine is investigated with two different nacelle shapes. It is found that the rotor performance is not significantly affected by the different nacelle shapes. However, the structural turbulence caused by the conventional nacelle is stronger than that by the NACA-profiled shape, and the former can cause detrimental effect on the performance of the downstream turbines in tidal farms.     

Evaluation of Bearing Capacity for Multi-Layered Clay Deposits with Geosynthetic Reinforcement using Discrete Element Method

A stability analysis of reinforced foundation soil is presented in this paper. A method based on the discrete element method (DEM) is suggested for calculating the bearing capacity on strip footings over multilayer soils reinforced with a horizontal layer of geosynthetics. The proposed method can estimate the ultimate bearing capacity and the distribution of tensile force developed in the geosynthetics of the footing system by Winkler springs to account for the compatibility between soil blocks and tensile elements to consider the tensile behavior between soil and geosynthetics. For footings on various multilayer soils with or without reinforcement of geosynthetics, the results of the method were compared to the field test results as well as to those obtained by various methods proposed by other researchers.     

海底输油管道底砂床冲刷机理研究

设计了海底输油管道水槽冲刷试验模型,研究了海底输油管道与砂床处于不同相对位置情况下床砂起动流速的变化,采用理想流体映射定理对其进行了理论分析,探讨起动流速变化规律。结合有限元数值模拟对试验进行细化分析,研究了海底管道底砂床砂粒起动的产生机理,根据研究结果将冲刷过程划分为五个阶段。阐明了海底管道暴露冲刷的危害性和实时监测的重要性。     

柴达木盆地第三系咸水湖相生油岩古沉积环境地球化学特征

在系统分析柴达木盆地西部第三系咸水湖相生油岩样品的微量元素、有机物、粘土矿物组成的基础上,揭示了研究区生油岩的无机元素和有机质组成特征;并结合沉积环境的无机与有机地球化学指标,重建了生油岩沉积时的古沉积环境。生油岩的B、Cl-及伽玛蜡烷含量表明,沉积时的水介质条件是半咸水—咸水环境,并伴随湖盆沉积中心北迁过程各层位地层的盐度发生规律性时空]化;生油岩的Fe2 /Fe3 、S2-、Pr/Ph比值、藿烷碳数分布模式及黄铁矿含量反映其沉积时的沉积环境为强还原性;粘土矿物组合特征及含量揭示这些生油岩的沉积相带介于中心咸湖相和边缘咸湖相之间。     

Critical Top Tension for Static Equilibrium Configuration of A Steel Catenary Riser

This paper aims to present the critical top tension for static equilibrium configurations of a steel catenary riser（SCR） by using the finite element method. The critical top tension is the minimum top tension that can maintain the equilibrium of the SCR. If the top tension is smaller than the critical value, the equilibrium of the SCR does not exist. If the top tension is larger than the critical value, there are two possible equilibrium configurations. These two configurations exhibit the nonlinear large displacement. The configuration with the smaller displacement is stable, while the one with larger displacement is unstable. The numerical results show that the increases in the riser＇s vertical distances, horizontal offsets, riser＇s weights, internal flow velocities, and current velocities increase the critical top tensions of the SCR. In addition, the parametric studies are also performed in order to investigate the limit states for the analysis and design of the SCR.     

大型储油罐基础非均匀沉降的有限元分析研究

以中石化仪征15万m3大型浮顶储油罐工程为例,研究了砂石褥垫层对大型储油罐基础的差异沉降的影响。根据行业标准《建筑地基处理技术规范》(JGJ79—2012)沉降公式计算以及有限元模拟计算,并结合现场实测数据,验证了有限元模拟分析的可行性,在此基础上进行了环墙内砂石垫层厚度及长度对差异沉降影响的扩展研究,为以后的类似工程项目设计施工提供了借鉴。     

Granular experiments of thrust wedges: Insights relevant to methane hydrate exploration at the Nankai accretionary prism

The accumulation mechanism of methane hydrates has been a central issue in previous hydrate research regarding the Nankai accretionary prism, southwest of Japan. Expulsion of formation fluids is significant during the prism accretion process, and the migration of these methane-bearing fluids exerts a strong control on the accumulation of hydrates. Two types of fluid pathways, inter-granular porosity and faults, need to be evaluated to understand hydrate accumulation. Fluid migration along faults can be partly modeled by examining faulting activity. Our study modeled the accretion process by using two granular methods that approximated the geologic body as an assemblage of particles: (1) analog experiments using granular materials, and (2) a numerical simulation based on the distinct element method. The analog experiments closely reproduced the prism geometry observed in seismic profiles across the Nankai accretionary prism. Digital image correlation analysis indicated that the frontal thrust is generally active but older structures are also frequently reactivated. The numerical simulations produced prism geometries similar to those of the analog experiments. The velocity distributions of the particles showed evidence of episodic faulting and reactivation, but the internal stress field exhibited little change in the deeper part of the prism during deformation. The frequent and substantial changes in fault activity displayed by the models indicate episodic fluid flow along fault surfaces. Active frontal thrusting suggests that formation fluids generally migrate from deep within the prism to the deformation front, but may move along reactivated older faults. Inter-granular permeability also fluctuates, as it is controlled by temporal and spatial variations in the internal stress field. However, fluid flow is likely to be relatively stable in the deeper segment of the prism.     

Seismic fracture evaluation of diaphragm joints in welded beam-to-box column moment connections

Steel box columns are widely used in steel building structures in Taiwan due to their dual strong axes. To transfer the beam-end moment to the column, diaphragm plates of the same thickness and elevations as the beam flanges are usually welded inside the box column. The electro-slag welding (ESW) process is widely used to connect the diaphragms to the column flanges in Taiwan because of its convenience and efficiency. However, ESW may increase the hardness of the welds and heat-affected zones (HAZs), while reducing the Charpy-V notch strength in the HAZ. This situation can cause premature fracture of the diaphragm-to-column flange welds before a large plastic rotation is developed in the beam-to-box column joints. To quantify the critical eccentricity and the effectiveness of fracture prediction, this study uses fracture prediction models and finite element model (FEM) analysis to correlate the test results. In this study, two beam-to-box column connection subassembly tests are conducted with different loading protocols and ESW chamber shapes. To implement a fracture prediction model, the material parameters are established from circumferential notched tensile tests and FEM analysis. Test results indicate that the fracture instances can be predicted on the basis of the cumulative plastic deformation in the HAZs. Analytical results indicate that fracture instances and locations are sensitive to the relative locations of the ESW joints and beam flange. Tests also confirm that the possible fracture of the diaphragm-to-column flange joints can be mitigated by enlarging the chamber of the ESW joint.