FEM analysis of seabed stabilization method against sea wave loading with permeable columns

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to propose a stabilization method for seabed subjected to sea wave loading and verify the efficiency of the method through a FEM analysis. The principle of the stabilization method proposed in the study is the suppression of the seepage force inside the seabed. Since the seepage force is a kind of body force and is fundamentally related to the gradient of potential water head in the seabed, the unification of potential water can be effective for reducing the hydraulic gradient and the associated seepage force. In the method permeable columns which are installed into seabed near structures with a certain interval and depth are utilized for propagating water pressure from the surface to the inside of seabed. Copyright © 2008 by The International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers (ISOPE).