Nonlinear standing wave-induced liquefaction in loosely deposited seabed: Fid-Bau Portal

Nonlinear standing wave-induced liquefaction in loosely deposited seabed

Yang, Guoxiang / Ye, Jianhong

Abstract Wave-induced residual liquefaction in loose seabed floor brings great risk to the stability of offshore structures in extreme climates. Understanding the characteristics of wave-induced residual liquefaction due to pore pressure buildup in loose seabed is meaningful for engineers involved in the design of offshore structures. In this study, standing wave-induced residual liquefaction is investigated deeply and comprehensively adopting a validated integrated numerical model. The time history of standing wave-induced pore pressure, effective stress, shear stress, lateral pressure coefficient $$K_0,$$ stress angle, and displacement of seabed surface are all quantitatively demonstrated. The variation process of progressive liquefaction, stress path, as well as the stress-strain relation also are illustrated in detail. It is shown that the integrated numerical model FSSI–CAS 2D (FSSI: fluid–structures–seabed interaction, CAS: Chinese Academy of Sciences) incorporating the PZIII soil model can effectively and precisely capture a series of nonlinear dynamic response characteristics of loose seabed floors under standing wave loading. The computational results further confirm that the wave-induced liquefaction in loose seabed soil is progressive downward, initiating at the seabed surface. In addition, it is found that two physical processes, including vertical distribution of oscillatory pore pressure and time history of stress angle possibly could be used to judge the occurrence of wave-induced residual liquefaction in loose seabeds. Furthermore, it is also found that the progressive liquefaction process is significantly affected by wave height, permeability and saturation of seabed soil.