NONLINEAR FINITE ELEMENT SIMULATION OF SUCTION CAISSONS

Abstract eng:
Suction caissons are hollow cylinders capped at top and used as foundations and anchors for offshore structures and mooring lines. An earlier study (Vásquez, 2000), conducted at the Offshore Technology Research Center of The University of Texas at Austin, was focused on prediction of axial capacity of such caissons considering the effects of installation. Computational tools were developed assuming axial symmetry. To capture the installation effects on the axial capacity, caisson penetration by selfweight was simulated. A frictional contact algorithm based on a slide-line formulation was used to analyze the interaction between the caisson and the surrounding soil during penetration along a preset straight penetration path. In the present study, computational tools are developed to predict the path of penetration as caisson installation progresses, thereby avoiding the need for a priori specification of the path. Verification of the numerical results is accomplished using data from recent experiments conducted at The University of Texas at Austin.

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