Journal article
The undrained bearing capacity of a spudcan foundation under combined loading in soft clay
Y Zhang, B Bienen, MJ Cassidy, S Gourvenec
Marine Structures | ELSEVIER SCI LTD | Published : 2011
Abstract
Mobile jack-up drilling rigs are typically supported by individual, large diameter spudcan foundations. Before deployment, the suitability of a jack-up to a location must be shown in a site-specific assessment under loads associated with a 50-year return period storm, which ultimately need to be resisted by the foundations. The capacity of the spudcans under combined vertical, horizontal and moment loading is therefore integral to the overall site-specific assessment of the jack-up.In soft clays, spudcans can penetrate deeply into the seabed, sometimes up to several footing diameters, with soil flowing around the downward penetrating footing, sealing the cavity. Although this is generally be..
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Awarded by Australian Research Council
Funding Acknowledgements
The first author is the recipient of a University of Western Australia SIRF scholarship and an Australia-China Natural Gas Technology Partnership Fund PhD top-up scholarship. The funding support from the second author's UWA Research Development Award is gratefully acknowledged. The third author is the recipient of an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (FT0990301) and holds the Chair of Offshore Foundations from The Lloyd's Register Educational Trust, an independent charity working to achieve advances in transportation, science, engineering and technology education, training and research worldwide for the benefit of all. He gratefully acknowledges this support.