Experimental Study on the Distribution of Wave-Induced Excess Pore Pressure in a Sandy Seabed around a Mat Foundation

Abstract

Mat foundations are widely used in jack-up offshore platforms to support and transfer loads. Regarding mat foundations working on the seabed, the excess wave-induced pore pressure is critical to seabed stability, which may finally cause structural failure. Therefore, it is important to investigate the distribution of the excess pore pressure in the seabed around the mat foundation. In this study, experiments were performed to study the excess pore pressure distribution around a mat foundation in scale considering the true load state by recording wave profiles and pore pressures inside a sandy seabed. To guarantee the reliability of experiments, a numerical study was conducted and compared with the experimental results. Experimental results indicate that with the existence of the mat foundation, the excess pore pressure is higher at the region, the range of which is the width of the model mat (Wm) before the structure. The maximum pore pressure appears at 0.55 Wm in front of the center of the mat foundation. In addition, the current significantly increases the range of high pore pressure area and the amplitude of the excess pore pressure. As the mat orientation changes, the position of the maximum pore pressure changes from the front to the edge of the mat.