A macro element model for subsea cables in soft clay

Many macro element models have previously been proposed to model soil-structure interaction problems within numerical simulations. Applications in the offshore geotechnical engineering realm alone include subsea foundations, anchors, caissons and piles. Such models are typically implemented by developing mathematical expressions for the yield surface and plastic potential function using some basic parameters (e.g. soil properties and structure geometry). This talk proposes an alternative approach using interpolation of data generated from finite element limit analyses and applies it to modelling the behaviour of a subsea cable buried in soft clay. The talk will conclude by exploring the potential for the approach to be generalised to site specific conditions and other soil-structure interaction problems.

About the speaker

Dr Sam Stanier Associate Professor, Civil Engineering, University of Cambridge

Sam Stanier is currently a University Associate Professor in Civil Engineering at the University of Cambridge. He was awarded a PhD in geotechnical engineering in 2011 by the University of Sheffield, UK, and subsequently spent 7 years at the University of Western Australia before returning to the UK in 2018. He has research interests that span experimental, analytical and numerical modelling of offshore geotechnical problems. Dr Stanier’s current focus is on developing generalised macro element models that can be used to express soil-structure interaction problems in numerical simulations, which broadly the focus of this seminar.

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