Soil Modelling |
 
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Soil Modelling |
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For structures running through and below the mudline, soil-structure interaction may be modelled by the specification of P-y and/or T-z curves. These curves define the soil resistance to lateral (P-y) and axial (T-z) motion over a range of depths below the mudline.
Soil structure interaction can be modelled explicitly by manually specifying P-y and/or T-z curves at different depths, or by utilising one of the three built-in soil models which can generate P-y curves automatically. The three pre-programmed soil models are:
•Sand (O’Neill & Murchinson, 1983)
•Soft Clay (Matlock, 1970)
•Stiff Clay (Reese et al., 1975)
Using the P-y and/or T-z curves, Flexcom calculates the appropriate (typically non-linear) soil stiffness to be applied at nodes of the finite element model along the length of the structure below the mudline. Further details about the P-y curves are provided in Operation.
•*P-Y is used to define P-y curves for modelling soil structure interaction.
•*T-Z is used to define T-z curves for modelling soil structure interaction.
If you would like to see an example of how these keywords are used in practice, refer to A01 - Deepwater Drilling Riser.