Stability analysis and design methods of steel pipe piles under non-uniform corrosion

Abstract

Steel pipe piles (SPPs) are commonly applied for marine platform foundations due to high bearing capacity. However, for SPPs in corrosive marine environments, the corrosion on the steel tube is severe and shows a non-uniform distribution along the height direction, resulting in the significantdecrease of the stability bearing capacity. To investigate the stability performance of SPPs in marine corrosive environments, the corroded SPPs are simplified into five-segment stepped columns, and the equilibrium differential equations are established to obtain the rotational stiffness relationship. The analytical solutions of the critical buckling loads of five-segment stepped columns under arbitrary boundary conditions are obtained by iterative methods. Besides, considering the material and geometrical nonlinearity, the finite element (FE) model of corroded SPPs is established and then verified based on existing test results. The effects of the number of segments and stiffness ratios among different segments on the bearing capacity are analysed. Furthermore, considering the interactions among different segments, the calculation methods for the stability bearing capacity of stepped columns under axial compression and combined compression-bending are proposed respectively. The comparison between calculated and FE results indicates that the proposed calculation methods have good prediction accuracy and can be available for practical engineering reference.