The behaviour of spudcan footings on clay subjected to combined cyclic loading

Abstract

This paper presents an improved numerical 'force resultant model' for spudcan foundations that can be used within a structural analysis of a mobile drilling unit. The model incorporates hysteretic behaviour for pre-yield 'elastic' movements by using a hyperplasticity formulation [Houlsby GT, Puzrin AM. Rate-dependent plasticity models derived from potential functions. Journal of Rheology 2002;46(1):113-26] for the moment-rotation response in the 'elastic' stiffness matrix. The formulation is embedded within an existing single surface plasticity model [Martin CM, Houlsby GT. Combined loading of spudcan foundations on clay: Numerical modelling. Géotechnique 2001;51(8):687-99] that would typica..