This was a Joint Industry Project (JIP) with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waterways Experimental Station (WES) and Texas A&M University; to study parameter trends and phenomenological aspects of the moving soil sediment/pipe interaction problem. Research consisted of characterizing the viscous drag of soft soils on embedded pipelines. Equations were developed for soft soil. The soil pipeline interaction was validated with model experiments at Texas A&M University. Based on these results a computer program was developed that can evaluate pipeline trajectory and pipe stress information for a more thorough design review.
Completed. Work consisted of three items;
1) development of a revised viscoelastic model for soft marine sediments, based on effective stress formulation,
2) modifications to the large-scale simple shear apparatus to permit pore pressure measurement,
3) revision to the pressurized pipe-drag device to increase its operating pressure range.
A final report for the Phase II effort has been prepared, reviewed, and distributed.