• Journal of Advanced Research in Ocean Engineering
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.198-210
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• 2015

This paper presents the damage assessment of a free-fall dropped object on the seabed. The damage to a dropped object totally depends on the relationship between the impact energy and the soil strength at the mudline. In this study, unexpected dropping scenarios were first assumed by varying the relevant range of the impact velocity, structure geometry at the moment of impact, and soil strength profile along the penetration depth. Theoretical damage assessments were then undertaken for a free-fall dropping event with a fixed final embedment depth for the structure. This paper also describes the results of a three-dimensional large deformation finite element analysis undertaken for the purpose of validation. The analyses were carried out using the coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian approach, modifying the simple elastic-perfectly plastic Tresca soil model. The validation exercises for each dropping scenario showed good agreement, and the present numerical approach was capable of predicting the behavior of a free-fall dropped object.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.895-906
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• 2014

A fundamental study of the dynamically penetrating anchor (DPA - colloquially known as torpedo anchor) embedded into deep seabed was conducted using measurement data and numerical approaches. Numerical simulation of such a structure penetration was often suffered by severe mesh distortion arising from very large soil deformation, complex contact condition and nonlinear soil behavior. In recent years, a Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian method (CEL) has been used to solve geomechanical boundary value problems involving large deformations. In this study, 3D finite element analyses using the CEL formulation are carried out to simulate the construction process of dynamic anchors. Through comparisons with results of field measurements, the CEL method in the present study is in good agreement with the general trend observed by in-situ measurements and thus, predicts a realistic large deformation movement for the dynamic anchors by free-fall dropping, which the conventional FE method cannot. Additionally, the appropriate parametric studies needed for verifying the characteristic of dynamic anchor are also discussed.