Conference Proceedings
Effect of Underlying Sand Layer on Undrained Capacity of Spudcan Foundations in Soft Clay Under Combined Loading
Yifa Wang, Mark J Cassidy, Britta Bienen
International Conference on Ocean Offshore and Arctic Engineering | AMER SOC MECHANICAL ENGINEERS | Published : 2018
Abstract
During the operational phase, the spudcan foundations of a mobile jack-up rig are subjected to combined vertical, horizontal and moment loading. Although previous research has indicated a substantial increase in vertical bearing capacity when a spudcan penetrates through a soft clay layer towards a sand layer, the response of spudcan foundations subjected to combined loadings in such stratification has yet to be understood. This study investigates the effect of the underlying stronger sand layer on the undrained VHM capacity of a spudcan foundation using three-dimensional small-strain finite element analysis. Results show the significant increase in vertical and moment capacity, whereas the ..
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Funding Acknowledgements
This work forms part of the activities of the Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems (COFS), which is supported by the Lloyd's Register Foundation as a Centre of Excellence and currently forms one of the primary nodes of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Geotechnical Science and Engineering. Lloyd's Register Foundation invests in science, engineering and technology for public benefit, worldwide. The first author acknowledges the financial support of IPRS, APA, and COFS top-up scholarships.