Currently API provides two sets of guidelines for the design of offshore piles in compression. The first is a working stress design approach (WSD), while the second and more recent is a reliability-based approach that uses load and resistance factor design (LRFD). In recent years, as the offshore industry has moved into deeper water, suction caisson foundations have evolved as alternatives to piles. Presently only the WSD design approach is available for design of deepwater suction caissons. This paper presents some preliminary estimates of the reliability (probability of failure) of suction caisson foundations for deepwater applications. It is an initial step in an overall program intended to provide a similar reliability-based design approach as that currently existing for piles. This paper examines several different aspects of foundation reliability for mooring systems applicable for a range of deepwater structures. The potential impact of spatial soil variability on the overall foundation reliability also is examined. The preliminary results from this study suggest that a factor of safety of about 2.0 against the 100-year design load produces comparable levels of reliability as those currently obtained for compression piles using API design procedures. Although the results from this study are preliminary, they help to focus future work on key uncertainties and provide significant insights into potential foundation performance.
Reliability assessment of deepwater suction caissons
2000
9 Seiten, 11 Quellen
Conference paper
English
Determination of Maximum Penetration Depth of Suction Caissons in Sand
Springer Verlag | 2017
|Model testing of upright and tapered suction caissons in sand
Taylor & Francis Verlag | 2016
|Numerical analysis of the behavior of suction caissons in clay
Tema Archive | 2003
|Model testing of upright and tapered suction caissons in sand
Online Contents | 2016
|Determination of Maximum Penetration Depth of Suction Caissons in Sand
Online Contents | 2018
|