An effective stress analysis of partially embedded offshore pipelines: vertical penetration and axial walking

A study on quantifying offshore pipeline resistance during vertical penetration and axial walking is presented, based on coupled pore pressure and displacement finite element analysis with the Modified Cam Clay model. Following the validation of the numerical method against published centrifuge test results and limit analysis solutions, we present the findings of a detailed parametric study on the response of partially-embedded pipelines under vertical and axial movements, employing 2-D plain strain and full 3-D soil–pipeline models. Emphasis is put on practical findings, and on proposing simplified expressions for the estimation of the contact enhancement factor and of the equivalent friction factor, that can be used at least for preliminary design purposes.