MTD Publication 96/103

NEW DESIGN METHODS FOR OFFSHORE Pn.ES

R J Jardine and F C Chow Department of Civil Engineering Imperial College London SW7 2BU

Publication 96/103

PubUshed by MTD
The Manne Technology Directorate Ltd Registered in England No 2022686 R^stered Office: 19 Buckingham Street London WC2N 6EF UK Registered as a charity under the Chanties Act 1960 Registered Chanty No 295576 MTD 1996 ISBN] 870553 31 4

Printed by Expedite Graphic Ltd, London SWl

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This rqjort has bear prepared with funding from Amoco (UK) Exploration Company and Shell Exploration and Production. The Authors wish to acknowledge the contributions that Dr R Overy, Mr R MartJand, IVIr I Brown and Mr J Smith made to its production. The most recent Imperial College research programme on offshore pilmg was funded by the Engineering and Physical Saences Research Council (EPSRC) through MTD Ltd, Amoco (UK) Exploration Company, the Buildmg Research Establishment (BRE), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and Shell Exploration and Production, with further support from the Institut Francais du Petrole (IFP). Additional participants in eariier joint industry projects (JIPs) include Bntish Petroleum, Conoco (UK) Ltd., Exxon Production Co., Mobil Research and Development Corporation, and Saga Petroleum. The support ofthe sponsors and the efforts of current and fonner colleagues at Impenal College, particulariy Dr A Bond and Dr B Lehane, are also gratefully acknowledged.

Tliis report summarises the research findings of the aiitliors, and gives their best current recoitimendations for design. However, no liabihty for the contents ofthe report is assumed by MTD Ltd, Imperial College or the sponsors, nor does the report necessarily reflect the views or pohcy of any ofthe parties concemed.

New Design Methods for Offshore Piles (MTD 96/103)

CONTENTS 1 2 SUMMARY INTRODUCTION

2.1 2.2 Rationale for Developing New Design Approaches Imperial Collie Research Programme

Page 7

7 8

DESIGN METHODS FOR PILES IN SAND

3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Introduction Shaft Friction Base Resistance Group Effects Effects of Time Cyclic Loading 11 11 15 16 17 18

VALIDATION OF THE PROPOSED NEW DESIGN METHOD FOR PILES IN SAND

4.1 4.2 Shaft Friction Base Resistance 19 24

DESIGN METHOI
5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Introduction Shaft Faction Base Resistance Group Effects Effects of Time Cyclic Loading 29 29 33 34 34 35

VALIDATION OF THE PROPOSED NEW DESIGN METHODS FOR PILES IN CLAY

6.1 6.2 6.3 Shaft Fnction Base Resistance Layered Soil Profiles 37 41 42

New Design Methods for Offshore Piles (MTD 96/103)

CONCLUSION
7.1 7.2 7.3 Mam Points Check List for Sands Check List for Clays 43 43 43

APPENDIX I - BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SUPPORTING RESEARCH APPENDIX H - KEY PAPERS ON IC RESEARCH APPENDIX III - OTHER CITED REFERENCES APPENDIX IV - LIST OF NOTATION

44 45 47 48

New Design Methods for Offshore Piles (MTD 96/103)

New Design Methods for Offshore Piles (MTD 96/103)

SUMMARY

An extaided programme of research by a group from Impenal College, London has led to new methods for assessmg the axial capaaty of offshore piles. Following the mtroductory commaits offered below, this document summarises the new procedures and provides: A description ofthe new methods suflBaent to allow practising engineers to apply them A demonstration that they offer considerable theoretical and practical advantages over existing methods Full validation ofthe methods for offshore conditions, showing that they are far more reliable and accurate than existing methods Comments on how pile age, group action and other factors could influence field perfonnance.

The report summanses and puts in context the research findings that led to the new methods. For detailed descriptions of the experimeital work, background theory and validation of results the reader is referred to Appendix I which lists the key PhD theses, OTH reports and papers relating to the research. Appendices 11 and IQ contain theftillreferences for ated publications by others, while Appendix IV defines the notation and symbols used m the document.

2 2.1

INTRODUCTION Rationale for Developing New Design Approaches

Predictions from current empincal methods for assessmg the axial capacities, Q, of displacement piles are relatively unreliable. As detailed later, the Coefficient of Variance (COV)' in 2caiaiiaiec/2measwed (QJQn^ for test piles analysed according to the API RP2A 20th edition (1993) offshore recommendations falls between 0.5-07. These high COV values are not compatible with the relatively low safety margins (typically 1.5) adopted for most offshore pile designs. At the same time, many practitioners consider the existing methods to be over-conservative m certain circumstances. For example, it is recognised that in sand the API RP2A approach leads to strong and systematic skewing of QJQm with respect to pile slendemess and sand relative density, leading to underpredicted capacities for short piles in dense strata. Foundation problems are relatively rare among the existing population of piled offshore structures. However, a clear need exists to improve predictive inethods to obtain economies in some cases and enhance perfonnance, and safety, in others. The implementation of new mediods needs to be co-ordinated with any parallel developmaits in the charactensation of eivironmental loading, with account being takoi of any traids towards structural designs which impose different pattems of loading on their foundations.

'The Coefficient of Variation (COV) is defined as the standard deviation, .y, divided by the mean value, \x. New Design Methods for Offshore Piles (MTD 96/103)

2.2
2.2.1

Imperial College Research Programmes

Research Aims

The hnperial College research has been aimed towards achievmg: (i) a more flindamental and thorough understanding of pile behaviour, and (ii) practical simple design inethods that capture the basic mechanics of dnven piles. The main tasks were to identify: How piles behave in different soils and layering sequences The scalmg laws that relate the behaviour of models to that of full-scale piles The effects on capadty of pile properties (dimensions, wall thickness, end conditions, surface roughness, matenal hardness, etc.) and installation methods 2.2.2 Any changes in capaaty and stiffiiess associated with time after pile installation The response to different loading types, including group effects and cyclic loading The controlling soil parameters that should be measured in site investigations. Field Tests with Instruineated Piles

Until recentiy, the stress conditions surrounding driven piles have been open to conjecture. A central feature ofthe hnperial College research has been the development of accurate and reliable on-pile instrumaitation to study the pore pressures, radial total stresses, local shear stresses and temperatures developed on pile shafts. The gauges were mounted on 6 - 20 m long, 102 mm diameter, closed-ended^ steel pipe piles (termed ICPs) and used in intensive test programmes involving a wide range of geomatenals between 1986 - 1994 at the six sites identified in Table 1 and Figure 1. The ICPs were installed by fast jacking, allowing comprehaisive measurements of the effective stress conditions developed close to the shafts to be made at multiple levels dunng mstallation, long-tenn equalisation and load testing to failure. Detailed site mvestigations were also perfonned, involving in-situ tests and advanced laboratory experiments. "Strain Path Method" numerical simulations ofthe ICP tests perfonned at Canons Park and Bothkennar were also carried out in conjunction with Professor A. Whittie from MIT as described by Bond (1988) and Lehane (1992). The Pentre piles (Figure 1) were installed close to the large-scale driven piles (LDP) descnbed by Clarke (1993); tests on less intensively instrumented open-ended dnven piles were conducted at Canons Park, Cowden and Dunkirk.

'The use of closed-ended piles allowed more accurate and robust instnimentation to be deployed. 8 New Design Methods for Offshore Piles (MTD 96/103)

TABLE I. SUMMARY OF RECENT IMPERIAL COLLEGE PILE RESEARCH SITES

Site 1. Canons Park

Soil conditions London clay: stiff to very stiff, high plastiaty, Eoceie marine clay; highYSR Cowdoi till: stiff to very stiff, lean, glacial lodgemaittill;high YSR Carse clay: soft, high plasticity, moderately organic, Holocene marine-estuarine clay-silt, lightiy cemented; moderate YSR Dune sand: loose to medium deise, medium-sized, Holocaie; low YSR Glado-lacustrine clay-silt and laminated clays: very soft to finn, low plastiaty; low YSR Marine sand: dense to very dense, shelly medium-sized sand, Flandnan; low YSR

2. 3.

Cowdai Bothkennar

4.

Labenne

5.

Pentre

6.

Dunkirk

Note: Yield Stress Ratio (YSR) is the apparent OCR as defined in Appendix IV

2.2.3

Results from Phases 1,2 and 3

The research has takei place m three phases. The first involved developmg the ICP instrumaits and experimental procedures, and perfonning multiple ICP tests and other experiments at the Building Research Establishment's (BRE) Canons Park test site. The research was summarised by Bond (1988) and Bond and Jardine (1990). The scope was broadened in Phase 2 to cover tests in sand at the French Ponts et Chaussees test site at Labaine, the BRE's stiff till site at Cowden, and the Engineering and Physical Sdaices Research Coundl's (EPSRC) national soft clay test site at Bothkennar. At each location an advanced site investigation was perfonned, a field pile testing fadlity established, and a programme of inultiple (closed-ended) ICP tests earned out. Clear and strikmg results emerged from the experiments which allowed new design approaches to be proposed for closed-aided piles. The Phase 2 work was rq)orted by Lehane (1992) and Jardine and Lehane (1994). The third phase, which has recentiy beoi completed, mvolved: 1. Establishing test faalities and performing advanced site investigations and multiple ICP tests at the Poitre (day-silts/lammated clays) LDP research site and at the Dunkirk "CLAROM' dense sand research site. Interpreting and perfonning tests on full-scale driven open-ended piles (with diameters up to 760 mm) at the ICP sites to assess the effects of scale, installation methods and pile-end conditions.

2.

New Design Methods for Offshore Piles (MTD 96/103)

3. 4.

Experiments to assess pile group and agemg effects m daise sand. Using the above to refine the new approaches for closed-ended piles and extoid the design methods to cover opai-aided driven piles. Collating an up-to-date and critically approved database offiall-scalepile tests that met rigorous quality cntena. Using the above to calibrate and validate the new methods for a wide range of practical applications.

5.

6.

The work is rqaorted by Chow (1996) and Chow and Jardine (1996).

Dunkirk

Figure 1. Locations of ICP test sites.

10

New Design Methods for Offshore Piles (MTD 96/103)