Wave-Induced Liquefaction

Researcher: Pui Lee Vun

Supervisor: Prof AHC Chan
Sponsor: - HR Wallingford Ltd.
Scope: - To investigate the behaviour of offshore structures during the occurrence of
liquefaction due to ocean wave.
Introduction
Later in 1970s, Bjerrum (1973) and Lee and Focht
(1975) recognized and evaluated the effect of
cyclic stresses in a seabed due to liquefaction
induced by an ocean wave storm in North Sea. The
liquefaction can generally be categorized naturally
into two types that are pore pressure build up due
to cyclic shear stresses in a seabed (Rahman and
Jaber, 1986; Sassa and Sekiguchi, 2001) and
transient or oscillatory excess pore pressure due to
spatial difference of pore pressure (Zen and
Yamazaki, 1990a, b). Progressive pore pressure
build up liquefaction occurs in a saturated noncohesive deposits whereas transient liquefaction
occurs in a partly saturated seabed. The
progressive liquefaction is caused by an increase
in a positive excess pore pressure and a decrease in the effective stress. Whilst the
oscillatory liquefaction is due to upward seepage force, with a positive and negative, occurs in
transient and repeatedly under the waves trough.
Two types of offshore structures are investigated in this research.

Pipeline (Teh, 2001)

Suction Bucket

Background
Suction bucket foundation has been used with success for major offshore structures, for
example, the Norways Sleipner platform (Sleipner, 1996). This new form of foundation is
based on the suction principle and is capable of carrying both tension and compression loads
from the structure above. However, the wave-induced stress and strain in a seabed with or
without the combination of the structural loading may cause soil failure and/or cyclic
mobilisation. This could significantly reduce the bearing capacity and the uplift resistance of
the foundation, especially under stormy conditions. Therefore the dynamic stability of a
seabed is very important in assessing the stability of an offshore structure founded in it.
Objectives
The main of objective of this research is to investigate the wave-induced liquefaction using
both experimental and numerical approaches.
Physical Test: Wave flume experiment in HR Wallingford will be used to examine the
behaviour of non-cohesive silt under propagation waves.

HR Wallingford Wave Flume

Numerical Analysis: Both two-dimensional and three dimensional numerical analyses tool for
wave-induced liquefaction problem will be developed and used to predict the behaviour of
seabed during liquefaction. Cyclic-plasticity constitutive model, i.e. Pastor and Zienkiewics
model (Pastor et al., 1990), will be employed in the numerical study. The 2-D problems are
analysed using SWANDYNE II (Chan, 1988). Another significant activity in the numerical
section is to develop a three-dimensional model to model liquefaction problems induced by
progressive waves in a seabed.

Two-dimensional Finite Element analysis for the pipeline stability problem

References
1. Biot, M. A., 1941. General Theory of Three-Dimensional Consolidation. Journal of Applied
Physics 23, No. 2, pp. 319-358.
2. Bjerrum, J., 1973. Geotechnical Problem Involved in Foundation of Structures in the North
Sea. Geotechnique 23, No. 3, pp. 319-358.
3. Chan, A. H. C., 1988. A unified finite element solution to static and dynamic problems of
geomechanics. PhD Thesis, University College of Swansea.
4. Lee, K. L. and Focht, J. A., 1975. Liquefaction Potential at Ekofishk Tank North Sea.
Journal of the Geotechnical Engineering Division, ASCE, Vol. 101, No. GT1, pp. 1-18.
5. Pastor, M., Zienkiewicz, O. C. and Chan, A. H. C., 1990. Generalized Plasticity and the
Modelling of Soil Behaviour. Int J. Numer. Anal. Methods Geomech.14, pp. 151-190.

6. Rahman, M. S. and Jaber, W. Y., 1986. A Simplified Drained Analysis for Wave-Induced
Liquefaction in Ocean Floor Sands. Soils and Foundations, Vol. 26, No. 3, pp. 57-68.
7. Sassa, S. and Sekiguchi, H., 1999. Wave-Induced Liquefaction of Beds of Sand in a
Centrifuge. Geotechnique 49, No. 5, pp. 621-638.
8. Sassa, S. and Sekiguchi, H., 2001. Analysis of Wave-Induced Liquefaction of Sand Beds.
Geotechnique 51, No. 2, pp. 115-126.
9. Sleipner, 1996. Bucket Base Broadens. Offshore Engineering. May 1996.
10. Teh, T. C. (2001). The Stability of a Pipeline on Liquefied Seabed under Waves. First
Year Report. University of Cambridge.
11. Zen, K. and Yamazaki, H., 1990a. Mechanism of Wave-Induced Liquefaction and
Densification in Seabed. Soil and Foundation, Vol. 30, No.4, pp. 90-104.
12. Zen, K. and Yamazaki, H., 1990b. Oscillatory Pore Pressure and Liquefaction in Seabed
Induced by Ocean Waves. Soil and Foundation, Vol. 30, No.4, pp. 90-104.