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Experimental Studies on Modified Suction Caissons in Fine Sand Subject to Uplift Loading

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Abstract

A modified suction caisson (MSC), which was reported by the authors of this paper previously, comprises an external short-skirted structure that is added to a regular suction caisson (RSC). It has been proved that MSCs can improve the lateral bearing capacity and limit the deflection of the caisson compared with RSCs. A series of model tests were conducted to investigate responses of MSCs subject to uplift loading in saturated sand. The effects of external skirt dimensions on the uplift bearing capacity of MSCs were considered. In addition, the influences of the sealed top lid of the skirted structure on the uplift bearing capacity and the resulting passive suction of MSCs were also studied. It was found that the uplift bearing capacities of MSCs are 1.4–1.7 times that of RSCs. Moreover, test results in serviceable conditions show that the sealed external skirted structure of perspex-made suction caissons significantly contributed to the uplift bearing capacity as a result of passive suction.

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Acknowledgements

The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (nos. 51379118 and 51639002) and SDUST Research Fund (no. 2015TDJH104).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266590, China

    Hanbo Zhai & Dayong Li

  2. School of Civil Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China

    Hanbo Zhai

  3. College of Civil Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350116, China

    Dayong Li

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  1. Hanbo Zhai
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  2. Dayong Li
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Correspondence to Dayong Li.

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Zhai, H., Li, D. Experimental Studies on Modified Suction Caissons in Fine Sand Subject to Uplift Loading. Trans. Tianjin Univ. 23, 562–569 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12209-017-0085-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12209-017-0085-7

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