Numerical Simulation on Suction Anchor Installation based on a Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian Finite Element Method

摘要

Details of a three-dimensional finite element modeling on the basis of the Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian method for simulation on installation of suction anchors are presented in this paper. Generally in a process of the design practice of suction anchors, a classical finite element method has been widely used to predict a stress-strain behavior of the soils both inside and outside the suction anchors. But the classical finite element method often leads to contact boundary problems on between the soils and the suction anchors, in particular, when simulating on installation of the suction anchors penetrated into the clay which large deformation occurs. Whereas a finite element analysis based on the CEL method is well suitable of solving geotechnical contact problems including large deformation of the interface between the clay and the suction anchors. A series of three dimensional finite element analyses based on the CEL on suction anchors with ratios of 1:1 to 1:6 (diameter versus penetration depth) were performed and simulated on installation of the suction anchors into the clay. A stress-strain behavior of the clay both inside and outside the suction anchors under installation was investigated. The CEL predictions were compared with the design predictions on skirt penetration resistance load by DNV (2005). The CEL predictions gave a correlation with the design predictions within 20% errors. The results indicated that the CEL simulation on installation of suction anchors can reasonably provide good predictions.