Buried Depth of a Submarine Pipeline Based on Anchor Penetration

Abstract

Anchor penetration is an important issue involved in the study of submarine pipeline damage accidents. To explore the penetration of a ship’s anchor under certain conditions, this study investigated the motion and force of an anchor and formulated a calculation method for the bottoming speed of an anchor. Meanwhile, the depth of anchor penetration was calculated under different conditions according to bottoming speed through programming. Finally, the reliability of the calculation method for the penetration depth was verified by comparing the actual measurement and the numerical simulation. On the basis of the findings, the calculation results were further analyzed, and conclusions were derived regarding the relationship between anchor mass, the horizontal projected area of the anchor, the anchor height on the water surface, and water depth. The conclusions provide suggestions for the application of anchor penetration in terms of seabed depth with certain reference values.