Characterisation of anchor penetration behaviour for Cable burial risk assessment

TY - GEN

T1 - Characterisation of anchor penetration behaviour for Cable burial risk assessment

AU - Sharif, Y. U.

AU - Brown, M. J.

AU - Coombs, W. M.

AU - Augarde, C. E.

AU - Bird, R.

AU - Carter, G.

AU - Macdonald, C.

AU - Johnson, K. R.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023, Society for Underwater Technology. All rights reserved.

PY - 2023/1/1

Y1 - 2023/1/1

N2 - Offshore wind (OSW) power cable failure currently accounts for 75% of the cost of all insurance claims associated with OSW projects and faults typically take 100+ days to rectify. The most effective method for protecting the cables from anchor damage is to bury them in the seabed, but current guidance on how deep they should be buried is ambiguous. There are a number of variables that influence the penetration depth of anchors, such as the anchor size (considered as the weight in kg), fluke length, fluke angle and the soil type and properties. The fluke length and angle vary depending on anchor size, the type of anchor and the manufacturer. Current industrial guidance suggests that an anchor’s penetration behaviour can be predicted based upon its fluke length and vessel displacement and the soil type but this does not consider the physical properties of the soil. In this paper the penetration behaviour of a Class F (AC-14) anchor has been investigated in sand soil beds of varying relative densities. The results indicate that the penetration depth of the anchor is density dependent and that the anchor penetrates deeper than may be anticipated in very loose sands.

AB - Offshore wind (OSW) power cable failure currently accounts for 75% of the cost of all insurance claims associated with OSW projects and faults typically take 100+ days to rectify. The most effective method for protecting the cables from anchor damage is to bury them in the seabed, but current guidance on how deep they should be buried is ambiguous. There are a number of variables that influence the penetration depth of anchors, such as the anchor size (considered as the weight in kg), fluke length, fluke angle and the soil type and properties. The fluke length and angle vary depending on anchor size, the type of anchor and the manufacturer. Current industrial guidance suggests that an anchor’s penetration behaviour can be predicted based upon its fluke length and vessel displacement and the soil type but this does not consider the physical properties of the soil. In this paper the penetration behaviour of a Class F (AC-14) anchor has been investigated in sand soil beds of varying relative densities. The results indicate that the penetration depth of the anchor is density dependent and that the anchor penetrates deeper than may be anticipated in very loose sands.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85207934185

U2 - 10.3723/FGQD3896

DO - 10.3723/FGQD3896

M3 - Conference contribution

AN - SCOPUS:85207934185

SN - 9780906940594

T3 - Offshore Site Investigation and Geotechnics

SP - 555

EP - 562

BT - Offshore Site Investigation Geotechnics 9th International Conference Proceeding

PB - Society for Underwater Technology

T2 - 9th International Conference on Innovative Geotechnologies for Energy Transition, 2023

Y2 - 12 September 2023 through 14 September 2023

ER -