Case Study of Offshore Pile System Failure in Hurricane Ike
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 139, Issue 10
Abstract
The objective of this paper is to document and study the failure of a driven, steel pipe pile foundation system supporting an offshore platform. The three-pile system failed in overturning because of a pull-out failure of the most critically loaded pile in a hurricane 5 years after installation. The calculated tensile capacity of this pile using the American Petroleum Institute (API) design method is close to the estimated load at failure. This case history is significant because it represents the failure of a large-diameter pile in service when loaded by a storm. Also, this case history generally affirms the current design methods and contradicts a widely held perception that offshore pile designs are significantly conservative. This case history highlights the opportunities to improve design practice by explicitly accounting for pile flexibility when dealing with strain-softening soils and by considering the capacity of the foundation system as well as the capacity of individual piles in design.
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Acknowledgments
The former U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) and American Petroleum Institute (API) provided financial support through the Offshore Technology Research Center for research projects, upon which this case study is based. MMS, API, and W&T Offshore were instrumental in providing access to hindcast data, design information, and damage assessments. Engineering Dynamics, Inc., donated their structural analysis computer software for use in this work. Aditya Hariharan and Matthew Garcia of Energo Engineering were helpful in providing data and analyses of this platform. Don Murff, Alan Young, and Philippe Jeanjean provided valuable reviews and guidance throughout the research projects. Steve Kay reviewed the draft paper and performed an independent pile-capacity analysis. The views and opinions contained in this paper may not reflect those of the writers’ employers, sponsors, or collaborators.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 139 • Issue 10 • October 2013
Pages: 1699 - 1708
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 29, 2011
Accepted: Jan 14, 2013
Published online: Jan 16, 2013
Published in print: Oct 1, 2013
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