Extraction of Spudcan Foundations in Single and Multilayer Soils
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 140, Issue 1
Abstract
Difficulties are often encountered in a variety of seabed sediments during extraction of spudcan foundations of mobile jack-up rigs. This paper reports results from centrifuge model tests undertaken to provide insight into spudcan foundation behavior during vertical extraction through single, double, and multilayer soils. The model tests included half-spudcan tests against a transparent window, allowing the soil flow to be captured continuously by a digital camera and subsequently quantified through particle image velocimetry (PIV) analysis and separate full-spudcan tests to measure the uplift resistance. The observed soil-failure mechanisms provide insight with respect to the profile of extraction resistance. The mechanisms reveal evolving failure modes at different spudcan extraction depths and, in particular, changes in the failure patterns because of varying layer geometry, soil types, and properties. For single, double, and multilayer clays, suction at the spudcan base, shearing along a truncated cone above the spudcan, and weight of the soil above the spudcan constitute the extraction resistance. Maximum extraction resistance occurs in the stiffer soil layer. The extent to which suction is sustained at the spudcan base is critical in determining the extraction resistance. The presence of a sand layer beneath the penetrated spudcan, for example as part of the soil plug pushed down during spudcan penetration, allows the base suction to be released within a short distance of uplift and results in relatively low extraction resistance. Improved understanding of spudcan extraction mechanisms through layered soils resulting from this study will allow development of analytical solutions to model spudcan extraction behavior, assisting jack-up operators to plan properly for leg extraction based on seabed conditions.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The research presented herein was undertaken with support from the Australian Research Council (ARC) through the Discovery and Federation Fellowship programs and the University of Western Australia through a Research Development Award (RDA12104358). The first author is an ARC Postdoctoral Fellow (APDI) and is supported by an ARC Linkage Project (LP110100174). The work forms part of the activities of the Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems (COFS), currently supported as a node of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Geotechnical Science and Engineering through Centre of Excellence funding from the State Government of Western Australia and in partnership with The Lloyd’s Register Educational Trust. These supports are gratefully acknowledged, as is the assistance of the drum centrifuge technician, Mr. Bart Thompson.
References
Acosta-Martinez, H. E., and Gourvenec, S. M. (2006). “One-dimensional consolidation tests on kaolin clay.” Research Rep. GEO:06385, Centre for Offshore Foundations Systems, School of Civil and Resource Engineering, Univ. of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
Bennett & Associates, L. L. C. and Offshore Technology Development Inc., (2005). Jack up units: A technical primer for the offshore industry professional, OTD/KeppelFels, Singapore.
Bolton, M. D., et al. (1999). “Centrifuge cone penetration tests in sand.” Geotechnique, 49(4), 543–552.
Cheong, J. (2002). “Physical testing of jack-up footings on sand subjected to torsion.” Undergraduate thesis, Univ. of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
Chung, S. F., Randolph, M. F., and Schneider, J. A. (2006). “Effect of penetration rate on penetrometer resistance in clay.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 132(9), 1188–1196.
Craig, H., and Chua, K. (1990). “Extraction forces for offshore foundations under undrained loading.” J. Geotech. Engrg., 116(5), 868–884.
Das, B. M., and Singh, G. (1994). “Uplift capacity of plate anchors in clay.” Proc., 4th Int. Offshore and Polar Engineering Conf., Vol. 1, International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers, Mountain View, CA, 436–442.
Handidjaja, P., Somehsa, P., and Manoj, M. (2004). “’Swiss-cheese’”—A method of degrading soil crust and minimizing risk to punch through problem on the installation of mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU).” Proc., 15th Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society Conf., Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society, Bangkok, Thailand, 303–306.
Hossain, M. S., and Randolph, M. F. (2009). “New mechanism-based design approach for spudcan foundations on single layer clay.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 135(9), 1264–1274.
Hossain, M. S., and Randolph, M. F. (2010a). “Deep-penetrating spudcan foundations on layered clays: Centrifuge tests.” Geotechnique, 60(3), 157–170.
Hossain, M. S., and Randolph, M. F. (2010b). “Deep-penetrating spudcan foundations on layered clays: Numerical analysis.” Geotechnique, 60(3), 171–184.
Hossain, M. S., and Randolph, M. F. (2012). “Spudcan foundations on multi-layered soils with interbedded sand and stiff clay layers.” Int. J. Offshore Polar Eng., 22(3), 248–255.
Hossain, M. S., Randolph, M. F., Hu, Y., and White, D. J. (2006). “Cavity stability and bearing capacity of spudcan foundations on clay.” Proc., Offshore Technology Conf., Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, 17770.
Hossain, M. S., Randolph, M. F., and Saunier, Y. N. (2011). “Spudcan deep penetration in multi-layered fine-grained soils.” Int. J. Physical Modelling in Geotechnics, 11(3), 100–115.
InSafeJIP. (2010). Improved guidelines for the prediction of geotechnical performance of spudcan foundations during installation and removal of jack-up units, Joint Industry Funded Project, RPS Energy, Austin, TX.
Kostelnik, A., Guerra, M., Alford, J., Vazquez, J., and Zhong, J. (2007). “Jackup mobilization in hazardous soils.” SPE Drill. Complet., 22(1), 4–15.
Lee, K. K. (2009). “Investigation of potential spudcan punch-through failure on sand overlying clay soils.” Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia.
Le Tirant, P., and Pérol, C., eds. (1993). Design guides for offshore structures, Clarom, Paris.
Low, H. E., et al. (2010). “Estimation of intact and remoulded undrained shear strengths from penetration tests in soft clays.” Geotechnique, 60(11), 843–859.
Low, H. E., Randolph, M. F., DeJong, J. T., and Yafrate, N. J. (2008). “Variable rate full-flow penetration tests in intact and remoulded soil.” Proc., 3rd Int. Conf. on Geotechnical and Geophysical Site Characterization, Taylor & Francis, Taipei, Taiwan, 1087–1092.
Lunne, T., Myrvoll, F., and Kjekstad, O. (1981). “Observed settlements of five North Sea gravity platforms.” Proc., 13th Offshore Technology Conf., Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, 305–317.
Maung, U. M., and Ahmad, C. K. M. (2000). “Swiss cheesing to bring in a jack-up rig at Anding location.” Proc., IADC/SPE Asia Pacific Drilling Technology, International Association of Drilling Contractors/Society of Petroleum Engineers, Houston, 62755.
Menzies, D., and Lopez, C. R. (2011). “Four atypical jack-up rig foundation case histories.” Proc., 13th Int. Conf. The Jack-up Platform: Design, Construction and Operation, City Univ., London.
Menzies, D., and Roper, R. (2008). “Comparison of jackup rig spudcan penetration methods in clay.” Proc., Offshore Technology Conf., Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, 19545.
Merifield, R. S., Lyamin, A. V., Sloan, S. W., and Yu, H. S. (2003). “Three-dimensional lower bound solutions for stability of plate anchors in clay.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 129(3), 243–253.
O’Loughlin, C., and Lehane, B. M. (2003). “Measure and prediction of deformation patterns beneath strip footings in sand.” Research Rep. No. C:1751, Dept. of Civil and Resource Engineering, Univ. of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
Osborne, J. J., and Paisley, J. M. (2002). “S E Asia jack-up punch-throughs: The way forward?” Proc., Conf. Offshore Site Investigation and Geotechnics—Diversity and Sustainability, Society for Underwater Technology, London, 301–306.
Ovesen, N. K. (1979). “Panel discussion in Session 9 (the use of physical models in design).” Proc., 7th Int. Conf. on Soil Mech. and Found. Eng., Vol. 4, Mexico City, 318–323.
Poulos, H. G. (1988). Marine geotechnics, Unwin Hyman, London.
Purwana, O. A., Foo, K. S., Quah, M., Khow, C. Y., and Leung, C. F. (2008). “Understanding spudcan extraction problem and mitigation device.” Proc., 2nd Jack-up Asia Conf. and Exhibition, Petromin, Singapore.
Purwana, O. A., Krisdani, H., Zhang, X. Y., Quah, M., and Foo, K. S. (2010). “An assessment of jack-up spudcan extraction.” Proc., 2nd Int. Symp. Frontiers in Offshore Geotechnics, Taylor & Francis, London, 679–684.
Purwana, O. A., Leung, C. F., Chow, Y. K., and Foo, K. S. (2005). “Influence of base suction on extraction of jack-up spudcans.” Geotechnique, 55(10), 741–753.
Purwana, O. A., Quah, M., Foo, K. S., Nowak, S., and Handidjaja, P. (2009). “Leg extraction/pullout resistance—Theoretical and practical perspective.” Proc., 12th Jack-up Platform Conf., City Univ., London.
Randolph, M. F., Cassidy, M. J., Gourvenec, S., and Erbrich, C. J. (2005). “Challenges of offshore geotechnical engineering. State of the art paper.” Proc., Int. Conf. on Soil Mech. and Found. Eng., Vol. 1, International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE), London, 123–176.
Schofield, A. N. (1980). “Cambridge geotechnical centrifuge operations.” Geotechnique, 30(3), 227–268.
Stewart, D. P. (1992). “Lateral loading of piled bridge abutments due to embankment construction.” Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
Stewart, D. P., Boyle, R. S., and Randolph, M. F. (1998). “Experience with a new drum centrifuge.” Proc., Int. Conf. on Centrifuge ’98, Balkema,Rotterdam, Netherlands, 35-40.
Taylor, R. N. (1995). Geotechnical centrifuge technology, Blackie, Glasgow, U.K.
Teh, K. L., et al. (2008). “Revealing the bearing capacity mechanisms of a penetrating spudcan through sand overlying clay.” Geotechnique, 58(10), 793–804.
Teh, K. L., Leung, C. F., Chow, Y. K., and Handidjaja, P. (2009). “Prediction of punch-through for spudcan penetration is sand overlying clay.” Proc., Offshore Technology Conf., Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, 20060.
White, D. J., Randolph, M. F., and Thompson, B. (2005). “An image-based deformation measurement system for the geotechnical centrifuge.” Int. J. Physical Modelling in Geotechnics, 5(3), 1–12.
White, D. J., Take, W. A., and Bolton, M. D. (2003). “Soil deformation measurement using particle image velocimetry (PIV) and photogrammetry.” Geotechnique, 53(7), 619–631.
Young, A. G., Remmes, B. D., and Meyer, B. J. (1984). “Foundation performance of offshore jack-up drilling rigs.” J. Geotech. Engrg., 110(7), 841–859.
Zhou, X. X., Chow, Y. K., and Leung, C. F. (2009). “Numerical modeling of extraction of spudcans.” Geotechnique, 59(1), 29–39.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 26, 2012
Accepted: Jun 21, 2013
Published online: Jun 24, 2013
Published in print: Jan 1, 2014
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.