Verification of laboratory model testing and calibration of suction pile installation in sand

Abstract

As a part of the feasibility study of the Mobile Offshore Bases, suction piles are currently being studied to provide the necessary mooring capability. This paper presents the results of a series of suction pile installation tests performed in a model tank consisting of 59.2 cm diameter and 176.8 cm height. Suction piles ranging in diameter from 15.9 cm to 29.8 cm were tested with various surcharge weights and initial pile penetration depths in loose through medium sand conditions to measure the relationship between the applied suction pressure inside the pile and the resulting pile penetration from the beginning till the complete installation. The results have been used to verify the laboratory model testing and calibrate the mobilized soil friction angle included in the analytical solution of the suction pile installation, i.e., the suction pressure vs. pile penetration relationship. This mobilized soil strength is described as a function of non-dimensional parameters characterizing the variation and transition of the soil strength during pile installation. The non-dimensional parameters include all pertinent pile and soil parameters that are thought to govern the pile behavior during installation.