Centrifuge experiment and numerical simulation of suction caisson installation in sand

Abstract

<p indent="0mm">Suction caissons are widely used foundations in offshore engineering. Compared with traditional forms of foundations, a significant advantage of the suction caisson is its cost-effectiveness owing to its simple installation equipment requirement, short installation time, convenience in transportation, and recycle and reuse potential. Changes in excess pore pressure and seepage field caused by penetration and suction have a significant impact on soil resistance around the caisson wall and tip. The centrifuge test and Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) large deformation solid-fluid coupled FEM are used in this study to investigate the changes in suction pressure and the seepage field during the suction caisson installation in the sand. The ALE solid-fluid coupled FEM successfully simulates suction caisson installation processes in sand observed in centrifuge tests. The difference in suction penetration resistance is found to be caused by seepage and excess pore pressure generated during suction caisson installation. Therefore, the solid-fluid effective stress analysis is needed in the evaluation of suction caisson penetration to consider the importance of seepage.