Discrete element method simulations of offshore plate anchor keying behavior in granular soils

Abstract

The keying mechanism of plate anchors (PLA) embedded into granular sandy soils is investigated in this work using the discrete element method (DEM) modeling to simulate microscale response and to observe the emergent macroscale behavior. Parameters (e.g., padeye eccentricity, loading direction) that influence anchor keying are analyzed in the simulations. The load-displacement response and embedment losses during keying are evaluated and compared to published experimental results from the literature. The keying mechanism of the PLA for different padeye eccentricities and loading directions are investigated. The DEM results are found to have the same trends as published experimental results. The embedment loss has a bilinear response with the padeye eccentricity which is in accordance with the experimental results reported in the literature. Embedment losses increase linearly with increasing loading directions. Microscale observations of mobilized particle friction, particle rotation, contact force network, and steering coefficient during keying are used to provide insights into the keying mechanisms. The potential for particle mobilization is reached more quickly for the larger padeye eccentricities. The particle rotation is the major keying mechanism for all the cases in the simulations. Finally, the granular assembly adjacent to the PLA is steering from horizontal to vertical for all padeye eccentricities.     

The formation of offshore ripples in the zone under irregular waves

In this article, results obtained from an experimental investigation conducted to determine the wave-induced geometric characteristics of offshore ripples and bars are presented. The experiments were performed using irregular waves. Natural beach sand was used in the study, where the mean diameter was 0.35 mm and the specific gravity was 2.63. The initial slope of the beach was 1:5. Different wave groups were generated over the initially flat beach, and a number of characteristics were determined. These include the ripple number, individual and average ripple heights, individual and average ripple lengths and the length of the offshore bar. The results of the experimental study were evaluated and empirical expressions based on the results were formulated.     

Nonlinear Analysis of Pile Foundation Jacket Platform

In this paper,the nonlinear collapse of the BOHAI-8 pile foundation jacket platform hasbeen analyzed.The ultimate load and collapse process of two computational models of the structure aregiven.One model is of fixed support whose length is eight times the pile leg diameter and the other consid-ers the nonlinearity of the soil-pile interaction.     

Evidence for a seafloor rupture of the Carboneras Fault Zone (southern Spain): Relation to the 1522 Almería earthquake?

High-resolution sea floor imaging (narrow beam sediment profiler) yields evidence for an offshore rupture along a strand of the Carboneras Fault Zone (CFZ) in the Gulf of Almería off southern Spain. The observed faults affect the seafloor and cut the Late Holocene sedimentary cover, hence the faults are regarded as active and the escarpments as relatively fresh. Seafloor faulting is associated with escarpments, fissures, pressure ridges, folds, and reverse faults indicating sinistral strike-slip faulting with a significant vertical displacement. Adjacent to the major fault zone secondary phenomena such as submarine slumps and slides are observed. The observed fresh escarpments imply an offshore rupture during a major earthquake along the CFZ. The southern Iberian margin and the Afro-Eurasian convergence zone form an area of moderate seismicity. However, some major events occurred, such as the 1522 Almería earthquake (EMS IX; [IGN (2005) Instituto Geografico Nacional, www.ign.es]), which affected large areas in the western Mediterranean. Different epicentral areas have been suspected, mainly along the 50 km long sinistral CFZ; however, no on-shore surface ruptures and paleoseismological evidences for this event have been found. Based on our data, a new epicentral area is proposed in the Gulf of Almería precisely along the observed sea floor rupture area, where the CFZ extend at least for 100 km offshore. Our findings suggest a specific seismic hazards and tsunami potential for offshore active and seismogenic faults in the Alborán Sea.     

Natural vibration frequency and damping of slender structures founded on monopiles

Offshore wind turbine (OWT) is a typical example of a slender engineering structure founded on large diameter rigid piles (monopiles). The natural vibration characteristics of these structures are of primary interest since the dominant loading conditions are dynamic. A rigorous analytical solution of the modified SSI eigenfrequency and damping is presented, which accounts for the cross coupling stiffness and damping terms of the soil–pile system and is applicable but not restrictive to OWTs. A parametric study was performed to illustrate the sensitivity of the eigenfrequency and damping on the foundation properties, the latter being expressed using the notion of dimensionless parameters (slenderness ratio and flexibility factor). The application of the approximate solution that disregards the off diagonal terms of the dynamic impedance matrix was found to overestimate the eigenfrequency and underestimate the damping. The modified SSI eigenfrequency and damping was mostly affected by the soil–pile properties, when the structural eigenfrequency was set between the first and second eigenfrequency of the soil layer. Caution is suggested when selecting one of the popular design approaches for OWTs, since the dynamic SSI effects may drive even a conservative design to restrictive frequency ranges, nonetheless along with advantageous – from a designers perspective – increased damping.     

Getting it right for the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaenaglacialis): A last opportunity for effective marine spatial planning?

The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) faces increasing pressure from commercial shipping traffic and proposed marine renewable energy developments. Drawing upon the successful Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary model, we propose a multi-stakeholder marine spatial planning process that considers both appropriate positioning of offshore wind farms and redefining commercial shipping lanes relative to whale migration routes: placement of wind turbines within certain right whale habitats may prove beneficial for the species. To that end, it may be advisable to initially relocate the shipping lanes for the benefit of the whales prior to selecting wind energy areas. The optimal end-state is the commercial viability of renewable energy, as well as a safe shipping infrastructure, with minimal risk of collision and exposure to shipping noise for the whales. This opportunity to manage impacts on right whales could serve as a model for other problematic interactions between marine life and commercial activities.     

导管架平台桩-土相互作用试验系统研制及应用

海洋环境中的导管架平台承受着风浪、地震等水平荷载,而平台的稳定对桩基础有严格要求,故研究水平荷载下导管架平台桩-土系统变形规律和相互作用机制具有重要意义。研制了1套导管架平台桩-土相互作用试验系统,主要由导管架平台试验模型子系统、电动伺服加载子系统、传感器与数据采集子系统、振动测试子系统组成,可用于研究冲击荷载、静载、循环荷载下导管架平台的桩身变形规律、桩基周围土体响应及平台的振动特性。通过初步试验结果表明,该系统能够如实反映水平荷载下桩-土间的相互作用和导管架平台的振动特性,验证了该系统的有效性。     

Effects of offshore platforms on soft-bottom macro-benthic assemblages: a case study in a Mediterranean gas field

The exploitation of fossil fuels in the Mediterranean Sea will likely lead to an increase in the number of offshore platforms, a recognized threat for marine biodiversity. To date, in this basin, few attempts have been made to assess the impact of offshore gas and oil platforms on the biodiversity of benthic assemblages. Here, we adopted a structured experimental design coupled with high taxonomic resolution to outline putative effects of gas platforms on soft-bottom macrofauna assemblages in the North Ionian Sea. The analysis was based on a total of 20,295 specimens of 405 taxa, almost entirely identified at species level. Multivariate and univariate analyses showed idiosyncratic patterns of assemblage change with increasing distance from the platforms. Potential reasons underlying such inconsistency are analyzed and the view that structured experimental monitoring is a crucial tool to quantify the extent and magnitude of potential threats and to provide sound baseline information on biodiversity patterns is supported.     

Persistent organochlorine pollutants in Korean offshore waters: Squid (Todarodes pacificus) as a biomonitor

Persistent organochlorine pollutants (POPs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs), chlordane compounds (CHLs), and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) were determined in Japanese common squid collected from the offshore waters of Korea. Liver accumulated higher levels of contaminants than mantle. The sums of DDTs, PCBs, CHLs and HCHs in liver were in the ranges of 164-4430 ng g⁻¹, 95-1030 ng g⁻¹, 15-121 ng g⁻¹, and 13-98 ng g⁻¹ on a lipid weight basis, respectively. Among the POPs, DDTs showed distinct regional difference in concentration levels and composition between the western and eastern offshore of Korea. One of the highest concentrations of DDTs so far recorded in the western offshore of Korea, that is Yellow Sea. This implies ongoing fresh input of technical DDT to this regional sea. HCHs were relatively high in the Yellow Sea as well, with an enhanced signal of γ-HCH indicating recent input of lindane. In contrast, CHLs showed higher level in the eastern offshore of Korea, that is East Sea, but PCBs showed an even distribution in both regions. Squid could be a useful bio-indicator for monitoring offshore water contamination by POPs.     

钢筋混凝土桥墩震后修复技术研究综述

介绍了近几次破坏性地震中钢筋混凝土桥墩的典型震害,总结了国内外利用FRP材料、钢套管、狗骨式杆等新型建筑材料对发生弯曲破坏、剪切破坏、纵筋搭接破坏以及空心截面桥墩的震后修复技术.研究表明,采用合适的修复方案,可以对地震损坏的桥墩进行成功修复,使其承载力和延性得到较好的恢复.文中提到的桥墩震后修复方案可为地震、火灾、爆炸以及腐蚀老化后遭受损坏的钢筋混凝土结构的修复提供参考.