Field testing of suction pile pullout capacity in soft marine clay in nearshore waters

Suction piles and / or anchors as they are interchangeably used, find widespread application for mooring of exploratory vessels in deep water depths due their ease of installation in such deep depths. Presently their applicability in shallow waters is finding increasing application for station keeping of barges, tugs, small boats and mooring of platforms for investigations, test equipment, buoys etc.Suction piles are subjected to loads varying from horizontal pullout/mooring to vertical uplift during movement of barges/offshore platforms which are moored to them. In shallow waters, angle of pullout is likely to be to be nearly horizontal due to the low water depths. Horizontal pullout capacity increases as the loading point moves downward. This paper discusses the trials carried out to test the deployment methodology and assess the ultimate pullout capacities in nearshore waters in 5m and 20m water depths in soft marine clays with low undrained shear strength.