Abstract
Screw anchors have been recognised as an innovative solution to support offshore jacket structures and floating systems, due to their low-noise installation and potential enhanced uplift capacity. Results published in the literature have shown that for both fixed and floating applications, the tension capacity is critical for design, but may be poorly predicted by current empirical design approaches. These methods also do not capture the load–displacement behaviour, which is critical for quantifying performance under working loads. In this paper, a finite element methodology is developed to predict the full tensile load–displacement response of shallow screw anchors installed in sand for practical use, incorporating the effects of a pitch-matched installation. The methodology is based on a two-step process. An initial simulation, based on wished-in-place conditions, enables the identification of the failure mechanism as well as the shear strain distribution at failure. A second simulation refines the anchor capacity using soil–soil interface finite elements along the failure surface identified previously and also models installation through successive loading–unloading of the screw anchor at different embedment depths. The methodology is validated against previously published centrifuge test results. This simplified numerical approach has been derived to approximate the results in a single step.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.