Analysis of soil strength degradation during episodes of cyclic loading, illustrated by the T-Bar penetration test

Abstract

Pipelines and risers form an essential part of the infrastructure associated with offshore oil and gas facilities. During installation and operation, these structures are subjected to repetitive motions which can cause the surrounding seabed soil to be remolded and soften. This disturbance leads to significant changes in the operative shear strength, which must be assessed in design. This paper presents an analytical framework that aims to quantify the degradation in undrained shear strength as a result of gross disturbance-in this case through repeated vertical movement of a cylindrical object embedded in undrained soil. The parameters of the framework were calibrated using data obtained in..