Effects of Electrode Configuration on Electrokinetic Stabilization for Caisson Anchors in Calcareous Sand
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 134, Issue 3
Abstract
The study is on the electrokinetic strengthening of caisson anchors embedded in offshore calcareous sand. The effects of electrode configuration on the effectiveness of electrokinetic treatment are investigated based on electric field analysis and are verified by results from a series of large scale laboratory tests on caisson models of diam and height, embedded in calcareous sand submerged under seawater. The electrokinetic treatment generates cementation of soil solids as well as bonding between soil and caisson shafts, which leads to increases in the side resistance and overall pullout resistance. The effectiveness of electrokinetic treatment is directly related to the electric field intensity. A linear relationship is observed between the increase in the side resistance and energy consumption. The study shows that the effectiveness of electrokinetic treatments can be maximized by the optimization of the electric field distribution through the electrode configuration.
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Acknowledgments
This research has been supported by the Centre of Offshore Foundation Systems (COFS), University of Western Australia (established and supported under the Australian Research Council Research Centres Program) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)NSERC. The writers wish to thank Mr. Damien Fitzgerald and technical staff in COFS for their valuable help during the experimental study.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 134 • Issue 3 • March 2008
Pages: 352 - 365
Copyright
© 2008 ASCE.
History
Received: Apr 10, 2006
Accepted: Jul 24, 2007
Published online: Mar 1, 2008
Published in print: Mar 2008
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