Experimental and numerical studies on the adjacent pile response to bucket spudcan penetration and extraction

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Experimental and numerical studies on the adjacent pile response to bucket spudcan penetration and extraction

Li, Chengfeng / WU, Qunan / Liu, Run / Ma, Pengcheng / Zhang, Haiyang

Jack-up rigs typically operate close to long-running jacket platforms. Unfortunately, penetration and extraction of the spudcan under jack-up rigs may impose an adverse influence on adjacent platform piles. In this study, the influence of bucket spudcan and inverted cone spudcan penetration and extraction on the lateral behaviour of adjacent pile were studied comparatively by conducting a series of model tests and numerical simulation in sand. The influence of spudcan-pile distance, pile diameter and pile head conditions on the spudcan-pile interaction were studied. Additionally, the soil flow patterns during penetration and extraction of two types of spudcans were analysed using the CEL. The results show that the pile bending moment and pile head displacement induced by bucket spudcan penetration and extraction are smaller than that of an inverted cone spudcan. It provides an engineering option for dealing with the adverse influence on adjacent piles induced by spudcan penetration and extraction.