TAP-575-Torpedo Piles for Gulf of Mexico Applications

The project consisted of four phases. The first phase consisted of a thorough review of the literature about torpedo piles and other seafloor penetrator experiments. The second phase consisted of developing a set of design models to predict the penetration and the capacity of torpedo piles as a function of seafloor velocity, pile geometry and soil shear strength. The third phase consisted of conducting a series of 1:30 model torpedo pile experiments at The University of Texas at Austin using their large soil bed facilities. The data will be used to further calibrate and validate the design models in field conditions. The final phase will consist of performing a limited number of offshore field tests. A JIP has been formed to fund the offshore test with a number of industry members participating in the project, however the results will not be a part of this project.