A fully-resolved micromechanical simulation of piping erosion during a suction bucket installation

Kemmler S, Cuéllar P, Artinov A, Luu LH, Farhat A, Philippe P, Rettinger C, Köstler H (2025)

Publication Language: English

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2025

Journal

Computers and Geotechnics Elsevier

Book Volume: 186

Article Number: 107375

DOI: 10.1016/j.compgeo.2025.107375

Abstract

Granular fluidization phenomena such as piping erosion represent a challenge to the delicate installation process of offshore suction bucket foundations. A detailed analysis of the complex conditions in terms of soil composition, soil state, and foundation installation parameters that may lead to piping can be very demanding, if at all possible, solely by experimental means or using macroscopic continuum-based seabed models. The present paper presents a fully-resolved fluid-coupled micromechanical approach for a three-dimensional numerical simulation of the installation process of a suction bucket using the lattice Boltzmann method and discrete element method. The developed model is validated using well-established benchmarks and calibrated by means of experimental data from physical model tests on relevant scenarios focusing on the local fluidization of fixed embedded suction buckets as well as on the suction-driven installation of unrestrained buckets. The qualitative and quantitative agreement with the experimental data both endorse the proposed methodology and highlight the physical soundness of the obtained results. Thereby, the paper shows that three-dimensional analyses of relevant local scenarios at a real scale with little macromechanical model assumptions are feasible.

Authors with CRIS profile

Samuel Kemmler Lehrstuhl für Informatik 10 (Systemsimulation) (LSS) Christoph Rettinger Lehrstuhl für Informatik 10 (Systemsimulation) (LSS) Harald Köstler Lehrstuhl für Informatik 10 (Systemsimulation) (LSS)

Involved external institutions

Institut national de recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement (INRAE) FR France (FR) Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Kemmler, S., Cuéllar, P., Artinov, A., Luu, L.-H., Farhat, A., Philippe, P.,... Köstler, H. (2025). A fully-resolved micromechanical simulation of piping erosion during a suction bucket installation. Computers and Geotechnics, 186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2025.107375

MLA:

Kemmler, Samuel, et al. "A fully-resolved micromechanical simulation of piping erosion during a suction bucket installation." Computers and Geotechnics 186 (2025).

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