Influence of Low-Permeability Layers on the Installation and the Response to Vertical Cyclic Loading of Suction Caissons
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 147, Issue 8
Abstract
Offshore wind is a key part of the change toward renewable energy sources. Offshore wind farm developments are moving to sites that are characterized by increased water depths and layered soil profiles, e.g., in the North Sea. Suction caisson–based jacked structures are expected to be increasingly used to support wind turbines at such sites. Experience of suction caissons serving as foundations for offshore wind turbines is limited. The mechanisms governing the suction caisson installation in layered soils are poorly understood and no published data of the in-service performance of suction caisson jackets supporting offshore wind turbines in layered soils exists. This gap is addressed here through a series of centrifuge tests investigating the installation and the response of suction caissons in layered soils—sand over clay and clay over sand—subjected to vertical cyclic loading into tension. The results reveal the mechanisms enabling suction caisson installation in layered soils and the complex load transfer mechanisms governing the suction caisson response under vertical cyclic loading. The clay layer plays a key role: in sand over clay, it encapsulates the sand plug, which leads to predominantly undrained behavior. In clay over sand, the uplift of the clay soil plug is critical both in facilitating suction installation and in response to vertical cyclic loading in tension. These findings provide confidence for suction installation and caisson response under vertical cyclic loading into tension in layered soils.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
We acknowledge the support from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) for our research project GR 1024/26-2 Sauginstallation Maritimer Strukturen (SIMS). This work forms part of the activities of the Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems (COFS), which is currently supported as a Centre of Excellence by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation. Lloyd’s Register Foundation helps to protect life and property by supporting engineering-related education, public engagement, and the application of research. This support is gratefully acknowledged.
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Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 147 • Issue 8 • August 2021
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 25, 2019
Accepted: Jan 22, 2021
Published online: Jun 8, 2021
Published in print: Aug 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Nov 8, 2021
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