This paper describes the results from a centrifuge investigation into the rate dependence of T-bar and ball penetrometer resistance in kaolin. Four T-bar diameters and two ball diameters were installed in kaolin with overconsolidation ratios of 1, 2 and 5 at penetration velocities varying over five orders of magnitude. The penetration resistances are compared with the properties of kaolin as measured in element tests to assist in the development of a framework that describes this resistance over the full velocity range. Consistent trends emerge when the soil viscosity is assumed to affect the penetration resistance in both the partially drained and undrained conditions, enabling the dependence of the T-bar and ball resistances on diameter, velocity and soil characteristics to be quantified.

This paper utilises centrifuge data to explore the penetration response of dynamically installed anchors in normally consolidated clay. The data indicate that for anchors with no flukes, expected anchor tip embedment depths are two to three times the anchor length for impact velocities approaching 30 m/s, with a strong dependence on the net density of the anchor and smaller dependence on the impact velocity. Total energy, defined as the sum of the kinetic energy of the anchor at the mudline and the potential energy released as it penetrates the seabed, is shown to be a useful quantity for comparing the embedment depth of anchors with markedly different geometries and mass, impacting the soil at different velocities. The centrifuge data were used to calibrate an analytical embedment model, based on strain-rate-dependent shearing resistance and fluid mechanics drag resistance. The merit of the anchor embedment model has been demonstrated by predicting the final embedment depths for a series of offshore field trials to within 4% of the measurements.

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Suction caissons are a promising foundation concept for supporting offshore wind turbines. Compared to applications in the oil and gas industry, where most practical experience exists, significant differences arise in terms of load paths and magnitudes, soil type and caisson aspect ratio (skirt length to diameter). In a set of two companion papers, this contribution investigates the response of suction caissons in dense sand through a series of centrifuge experiments. The caisson was installed using suction, followed by sequences of cyclic loading and then extraction, all steps completed continuously in-flight. This first paper discusses installation, limiting capacities and drainage, whereas the second paper focuses on vertical cyclic loading into tension. The work demonstrates that suction caisson installation behaviour is well described by existing calculation methods. Tests performed at different installation rates demonstrate that careful assessment of the pumping rate is needed to ensure successful installation, with low pumping rates resulting in premature refusal. In the centrifuge tests, full skirt penetration was achieved without apparent loosening of the soil plug. The limiting capacity in tension, measured during the testing at both fast and slow uplift rates, was also well described by existing calculation methods.