Pullout Capacity of Suction Piles in Clay Under Eccentric Vertical Loads

Abstract

As part of a study on the determination of the suction pile vertical pullout loading capacity, five centrifuge model tests have been conducted on a model suction pile embedded in clay. Details of the centrifuge model test procedures and results are described. Variable in the centrifuge model tests includes the point of the mooring line attachment which was varied from the top to the bottom along the side of the model suction pile. The effect of this parameter on the suction pile vertical pullout capacity is described and discussed in detail. Test results indicate that the loading capacity increases, reaches its peak, and then decreases as the loading point moves downward.