Effect of interface condition on the undrained capacity of subsea mudmats under six-degree-of-freedom loading

Abstract

The effect of soil–foundation interface condition on the undrained capacity of rectangular mudmat foundations under loading in six degrees of freedom is investigated. Undrained failure envelopes for mudmats with zero-tension interface have been derived from finite-element analyses, and compared with the solutions from traditional methods and established for an unlimited-tension interface condition. The zero-tension interface has minimal effect on failure envelopes in the absence of moment, but significantly reduces the load-carrying capacity of mudmats under all other load paths that include moment. The traditional method for predicting the capacity of shallow foundations under multi-directional loading generally predicts lower capacity under any combined loading condition in comparison with the finite-element results for mudmats with zero-tension interface. Algebraic expressions are proposed to describe failure envelopes for mudmats with zero-tension interface. The proposed expressions can be implemented in an automated calculation tool to enable essentially instantaneous generation of failure envelopes and optimisation of a foundation design as a function of foundation dimension or material factor.