Bucket Foundation Installation Using Segmented Suction Chambers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for establishing foundations in seabeds, especially in soils with impermeable layers, face challenges in penetrating due to the lack of water seepage around the rim, and struggle to control penetration speed and inclination effectively under varying soil conditions and loads.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a foundation structure with controlled suction pressure and media flow through chambers and nozzles along the rim, allowing for precise penetration and load management, including the use of winches for inclination adjustment, and integrated design and simulation for predicting and controlling penetration forces based on soil characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional foundation installation methods are used in impermeable soil layers, then the foundation can be installed, but water seepage cannot be established around the rim preventing effective penetration control
Solution Approach 1:
The rim is divided into multiple chambers (first chamber, second chamber, third chamber, fourth chamber) that can be independently controlled. Each chamber can be pressurized or evacuated separately to create localized suction forces at different positions around the rim, enabling precise control of penetration even in impermeable soils where global water seepage cannot be established.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses pneumatic and hydraulic principles by introducing fluid pressure and suction forces through the chambers and nozzles. Media (fluid, air/gas or steam) are forced through nozzles to create controlled suction pressures that reduce soil shear strength and enable penetration control without relying on natural water seepage, thus adapting to both permeable and impermeable soil conditions.
2Length of moving object
If higher penetration forces are applied to penetrate deeper into the seabed, then deeper penetration is achieved, but the risk of soil failure and structure buckling increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs periodic or pulsed action by alternately pressurizing and evacuating the chambers in a controlled sequence. This periodic application of suction and pressure creates progressive soil weakening and penetration over time, allowing deeper penetration without applying constant extreme forces that would cause soil failure or structure buckling.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes physical parameters (pressure, suction force, fluid flow rate) dynamically during the penetration process. By adjusting these parameters in real-time based on soil conditions and penetration depth, the system achieves deeper penetration while maintaining soil integrity and preventing structural failure through optimized force application.
3Strength
If the foundation structure is designed to withstand all operational loads, then structural strength is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The chambers and nozzles system serves multiple functions: it controls penetration speed, maintains inclination, reduces soil shear strength, and enables adaptation to various soil types. This multi-functionality allows the foundation structure to be designed with optimized strength for operational loads while avoiding unnecessary complexity through a single integrated control system that handles multiple requirements simultaneously.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables deeper penetration with reduced forces, maintains soil integrity, and ensures controlled inclination, allowing for stable foundation installation in diverse seabed conditions, including permeable and impermeable layers, and various load regimes.
Implementation Method 1
controlling the suction pressure in the enclosure and the pressures and flows along the lower perimeter/rim (edge) (4) of the skirt while penetrating the foundation structure into the soil (5)
Implementation Method 2
pressures and flows of a media, e.g. fluid, air/gas or steam, can be established in a controlled manner through said chambers and nozzles
Implementation Method 3
the operation of the winches can introduce a horizontal force in the opposite direction of an inclination as a corrective action
Implementation Method 4
an under pressure may be created. This may be established by activating an evacuation pump creating suction i.e. a lower pressure inside the bucket structure than outside the structure
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Method of installing a bucket foundation structure comprising one, two, three or more skirts, into soils in a controlled manner. The method comprises two stages: a first stage being a design phase and the second stage being an installation phase. In the first stage, design parameters are determined relating to the loads on the finished foundation structure; soil profile on the location of installation; allowable installation tolerances, which parameters are used to estimate the minimum diameter and length of the skirts of the bucket. The bucket size is used to simulate load situations and penetration into foundation soil, in order to predict necessary penetration force, required suction inside the bucket and critical suction pressures, which penetration force, required suction, and critical suction pressures are used as input for a control system in the second stage, in which second stage the pa- rameters determined in the first stage are used in order to control the installation of the bucket.