Offshore

 support  structures  &  installation

Technology of Offshore Wind Energy

Fundamentals  of  Soil  Behaviour

 •
•
•
•

Scour
Capacity
Installation

Deformation
Introduction
Relevance  of  soil-­‐structure  interaction

Picture  source:  NREL  US,  2014-­‐2015  Offshore  Wind  Technologies  Market  Report
 Gravel
coarse-­grained

Sand
Soil  classification
Introduction

Silt
Gravel
fine-­grained

Clay

Sand

Silt
Clay

Images  by:  Gravel,  Stan  Zurek      

Sources:  Gravel,  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gravel_on_a_beach_in_Thirasia%2C_Santorini%2C_Greece.jpg
Sand,  http://www.swelluk.com/swell-­‐fiji-­‐sand-­‐fine/,    Clay,  http://themodern.farm/work-­‐in-­‐progress-­‐basics-­‐and-­‐fundamentals/
Soil  classification  system,  http://www.engineersdaily.com/2011/03/massachusetts-­‐institute-­‐of-­‐technology.html
 Introduction
Soils  worldwide
Sand  and  clay  layers  in  the  North  Sea

stiff  clays  dense  

sands

World  map  image  adapted  from: Equirectangular-­‐projection

soft  clays

soft  clays

carbonate  
carbonate  
sands/clays
sands/silts/clays
 Fundamentals of  Soil  Behaviour
Effective  stress  principle

All  quantifiable  effects  of  a  change  in  stress  

Pore  water  and  grains,  http://nptel.ac.in/courses/105103097/web/chap5final/s3.htm

(compression,  distortion,  change  in  shear  strength)  

Source:  K.  von  Terzaghi,  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:KT_1926.jpg

are  due  to  changes  in  the  effective  stress
K.  von  Terzaghi (1923)

Imagee by:  K.  von  Terzaghi,  foto  fra  1926,  ukendt  fotograf
effective  stress
total   water  
stress pressure
Fundamentals  of  Soil  Behaviour
-­‐ Shear  strength  and  dilation/contraction
• soils  resist  shear  through  friction
• the  frictional  angle  ϕ’ quantifies  the  shear  strength  
• only  effective  stresses  matter,  pressure  dependence
• sheared  soil  samples  exhibit  volume  changes
 Fundamentals  of  Soil  Behaviour
-­‐ Water  drainage
• Drained loading : the loading is applied so gradually, or the soil permeability is
so high, that water flows freely out of (or into) the soil without excess pore
pressures (Dp) having the opportunity to develop;; i.e. all load changes are taken
by the soil skeleton

• Undrained loading : the loading is applied so rapidly, or the soil permeability is

so low, that there is no movement of water and excess pore pressures (positive
or negative) are able to develop

Excess  pore  pressures  are  pore  pressure  changes  with  respect  to  steady  state
 Shear  Behaviour
-­‐ Drained  shearing

s¢ = s - u Prevention  of  dilation

causes  increase  in  strength
no  volume  
t change

t

Dense
s¢ Δσ =  Δσ‫ ׳‬+  Δu
Dense
(Δu              Δσ‫) ׳‬
 Shear  Behaviour
-­‐ Undrained  shearing
s¢ = s - p Prevention  of  contraction
causes  decrease  in  strength
no  volume  
t change

t

Loose
s¢ Δσ =  Δσ‫ ׳‬+  Δu
Loose
(Δu                Δσ‫) ׳‬
 Fundamentals  of  Soil  Behaviour
-­‐ Soil  Consolidation
Water  drainage  through  soil  pores  is  never  instantaneous  under  external  loading

𝑡→0 𝑡→∞

partially  drained
undrained drained
CONSOLIDATION

• undrained:  no  volume  changes,  excess  pore  pressure  (+  or  -­)
• drained:  volume  changes  and  seepage,  steady-­state  pore  pressure      
• influence  of  soil  permeability  and  compressibility,  fluid  viscosity and  loading  
rate
 Fundamentals  of  Soil  Behaviour
-­‐ Undrained  shear  strength
• total  stress  undrained  analysis:  no  pore  pressure  calculated    
• undrained strength  su:  maximum  shear  stress  for  undrained failure
• su depends  on  the  effective  mean  pressure  and  the  geological  history
Mohr-­Coulomb  failure  
locus

su Tresca
su
failure  locus

pore  pressure
z
 Fundamentals  of  Soil  Behaviour
-­‐ Soil  characterisation

Identification  of  deformation/strength  properties  for  engineering  analysis

Site  Survey
Site  Survey Laboratory  Testing
Gravel

Sand
Silt Clay
 Fundamentals  of  Soil  Behaviour
Characterisation – site  survey

Desk  study
• Approximate  bathymetry
• Seabed  obstacles
• General  geology
• Geohazards

Picture  source:  Geophysical  survey,  https://www.usgs.gov/

• General  met-­‐ocean  data

Geophysical  survey

Credit:  U.S.  Geological Survey

• Bathymetry  
• Side  scan  sonar  
• Seismic  reflection  survey  
• Magnetometer  survey  
 In-­situ  tests •

– Seismic  CPT  (SCPT)

Geotechnical  survey

• Soil  sampling  for  lab  testing

– Cone  Penetration  Test  (CPT)

– In-­situ  vane  shear  test  (VST)

Characterisation – site  survey
Fundamentals  of  Soil  Behaviour

Image  source:  Vessel,  

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ocean_Observer_Gardline_research_and_survey_vessel_ship.png
Penetration  cone,  http://www.images.searchpointer.com/sureyors-­‐soil-­‐investigation/8722/1.jpg
Soil  sampling  :  http://www.petrogeminc.com/wp-­‐content/uploads/2016/09/lab-­‐data.jpg
 Fundamentals  of  Soil  Behaviour
Characterisation – relevant  parameters

Sand
§ Effective  soil  unit  weight   (γ’  ) [kN/m3]
§ Angle  of  internal  friction   (φ)   [°]

Clay
§ Effective  soil  unit  weight   (γ’  ) [kN/m3]
§ Undrained shear  strength   (su) [kN/m2]
§ Strain  at  50%  strength  mobilised (ε50) [%]
 Fundamentals  of  Soil  Behaviour
Characterization  – relevant  parameters

Typical  values  offshore  North  Sea

Sand φ Clay su ε50

[°] [kPa] [%]

• Very  Loose   32 • Soft   0-­25 1.5

• Loose 34 • Firm 25-­50 1.5
• Medium   37 • Stiff   50-­100 1.0
• Dense 40 • Very  stiff 100-­200            0.5
• Very  dense     42 • Hard     >200 0.5