Influence of spudcan penetration on the stability of adjacent steel cylinder in sand

Abstract

ABSTRACT A large-diameter thin-walled steel cylinder as the protective structure of a submarine production system is vulnerable to the spudcan penetration because of its shallow buried depth and large foundation size. Centrifuge model tests are carried out to investigate the behaviour of steel cylinders caused by spudcan penetration. Then, CEL method verified by centrifuge test is used to analyse the influence of spudcan penetration on the stability of steel cylinders under different spudcan-cylinder clearances. The results show that the deformation mode of the adjacent cylinder is affected by comprehensive factors such as spudcan-cylinder clearance, spudcan penetration depth, soil deformation modulus, and soil strength. The displacement and stress of the cylinder decrease exponentially with the increase in the spudcan-cylinder clearance. The affected distance of the spudcan penetration on the cylinder can reach more than two times the spudcan diameter.