CENTRIFUGE MODELLING OF SUCTION PILE INSTALLATION IN LAYERED SOIL BY PERCUSSION METHOD

摘要

Small scale tests have been carried out in the geotechnical centrifuge of the University of Delft in order to examine the behaviour of suction piles during installation by percussion in layered soil. In this method, the driving force for the pile to penetrate the sea floor is not obtained by continuous pumping, but by creating short pressure pulses. This technique was thought to reduce upheave and allowing installation of piles at locations where the conventional method fails. In previous research on sand the influence of several parameters was investigated, including pulse time, pile diameter, soil type and flatness of the sea floor. The tests indicated that the percussion method indeed shows advantages in cases where the conventional installation technique does not lead to the design penetration. In this paper the attention is focussed on the installation in layered soil.