Estimation of Installation Resistance and Subsequent Short-Term Capacities of Offshore Skirted Foundations in Clay

Abstract

Large deformation finite element analyses have been performed to simulate the installation of offshore skirted foundations in clay with different strength heterogeneity. The influences of loading rate and remolding during installation have been incorporated on the undrained shear strength of the soil. The mobilized frictional resistance at the skirt–soil interface has been linked to the sensitivity of the soil. Following installation, the short-term compression and uplift capacities of these foundations are estimated at different levels of embedment. After validating the numerical methodology by comparing results with available theoretical and experimental studies, detailed parametric research has been carried out for all practical ranges of parameters. Closed-form expressions are presented for estimating installation resistance and short-term ultimate compression and uplift capacities of shallow skirted foundations. The proposed equations predict the undrained ultimate capacities with a maximum error limited to 5% and can be directly used by practicing engineers.