Response of Skirted Suction Caissons to Monotonic Lateral Loading in Saturated Medium Sand

Monotonic lateral load model tests were carried out on steel skirted suction caissons embedded in the saturated medium sand to study the bearing capacity. A three-dimensional continuum finite element model was developed with Z_SOIL software. The numerical model was calibrated against experimental results. Soil deformation and earth pressures on skirted caissons were investigated by using the finite element model to extend the model tests. It shows that the ＂skirted＂ structure can significantly increase the lateral capacity and limit the deflection, especially suitable for offshore wind turbines, compared with regular suction caissons without the ＂skirted＂ at the same load level. In addition, appropriate determination of rotation centers plays a crucial role in calculating the lateral capacity by using the analytical method. It was also found that the rotation center is related to dimensions of skirted suction caissons and loading process, i.e. the rotation center moves upwards with the increase of the ＂skirted＂ width and length; moreover, the rotation center moves downwards with the increase of loading and keeps constant when all the sand along the caisson＇s wall yields. It is so complex that we cannot simply determine its position like the regular suction caisson commonly with a specified position to the length ratio of the caisson.

Constitutive model for monotonic and cyclic responses of loosely cemented sand formations

This paper presents a model to simulate the monotonic and cyclic behaviours of weakly cemented sands.An elastoplastic constitutive model within the framework of bounding surface plasticity theory is adopted to predict the mechanical behaviour of soft sandstone under monotonic and cyclic loadings. In this model, the loading surface always passes through the current stress state regardless of the type of loading. Destruction of the cementation bonds by plastic deformation in the model is considered as the primary mechanism responsible for the mechanical degradation of loosely cemented sands/weak rock.To model cyclic response, the unloading plastic and elastic moduli are formulated based on the loading/reloading plastic and elastic moduli. The proposed model was implemented in FLAC2D and evaluated against laboratory triaxial tests under monotonic and cyclic loadings, and the model results agreed well with the experimental observations. For cyclic tests, hysteresis loops are captured with reasonable accuracy.

Influence of the Loading Protocol and Loading Rate on the Characteristics of Timber Nail Joints

Nail joints are one of the key components that control the lateral performance of light wood frame shear walls.In previous experimental studies,researchers have used different loading rates,which failed specimens from less than a minute to more than an hour,to study the characteristics of nail joints.Moreover,there have been different loading protocols used for testing of timber nail joints or shear walls.Although some efforts have been made to address this subject,it is still unclear how the loading protocol and loading rate may influence the performance of nail joints.In this study,a total of 96 nail joints tests were carried out under monotonic and reversed-cyclic loads at three different loading rates,and under three different loading protocols(ISO,CUREE and SPD).The results of the test revealed that the loading rate did not have a noticeable effect on the mechanical properties of nail joints,while the loading protocol did influence those properties.Especially,protocols with larger cumulative damage demands lead to lower ultimate displacement and ductility of nail joints.