Pullout Capacity of Single and Biwing Anchors in a Soft Clay Deposit: Model Investigation in a Centrifuge and FEM Predictions

One of the ways to install plate anchors in deep seabed is to drop the anchor system from the sea level and allow it to initially embed in the seabed under its own weight. Further dragging would cause the anchor to rotate and embed further into the seabed. There could be difficulties of getting the anchor plate horizontal or mooring line to...

An anchoring system for supporting platforms for wind energy devices

This paper presents data from an initial development stage of an 'umbrella anchor' concept. The anchor can be pushed into sand deposit in a folded arrangement to reduce installation loads. When a pull-out load is applied to the mooring line, the anchor deploys to create a large embedded plate anchor. Physical modelling was carried out in...

New insights into the failure mechanisms of horizontal plate anchors in clay during pull-out

Offshore wind developments are moving towards deep-water regions where energy is abundant, visual impact is minimised and the larger turbine sizes can make the energy production more cost-effective. One of the key challenges facing the industry is the development of reliable substructures. While fixed foundation systems are widely used for...

The Effect of Shape on the Pull-out Capacity of Shallow Plate Anchors in Sand

This paper presents an experimental and analytical study to investigate the effect of shape on the pull-out capacity of shallow horizontal plate anchors in sand under drained loading conditions. Novel dynamically penetrating plate anchor concepts have been proposed for use in the offshore energy sector. These anchor concepts may have shapes that...

Effects of strain rates on the undrained shear strength of kaolin

In recent times, interest in dynamically installed foundation systems for deep-sea construction has increased; however, these foundation systems are still under development and need quantification of various soil parameters with different perspectives. For the design of dynamically installed foundations, it is essential to assess the strain...

The behaviour of a novel dynamically installed anchor during deployment – insights from field tests

Offshore wind developments are moving towards deep water where the energy is abundant and visual and sound interference is minimised. However, construction in deep water poses several challenges to developers, among which are the high cost of operation and material transport. The current study addresses the behaviour of a novel foundation system...

Coactive Design: Designing Support for Interdependence in Joint Activity

Coactive Design is a new approach to address the increasingly sophisticated roles that people and robots play as the use of robots expands into new, complex domains. The approach is motivated by the desire for robots to perform less like teleoperated tools or independent automatons and more like interdependent teammates. In this article, we...

A numerical modelling investigation into design variables influencing mixing efficiency in full scale gas stirred ladles.

Bearing wear and its effect on shaft alignment

The effect of section thickness on the crack resistance of aluminium alloy L93, with measurements of plastic strain

Crack propagation in fatigue: some experiments with DTD 507A aluminium alloy sheet

Fatigue crack propagation rates have been measured in 16 swg sheets of this aluminium alloy using stress levels of 8800 ±7200 psi, 4400 ±3600 psi and 13,200 ±10,800 psi. The scatters in crack initiation times and crack rates were determined. Varying the panel length/width ratio from 1.2 to 4.75 was found to have little effect on crack rate. A...

The surface self-diffusion of copper as affected by environment

Using mass-transfer methods, the surface self-diffusion of copper has been shown to depend on environment. An increase of oxygen pressure increases the surface diffusion rate, but interpretation on the basis of adsorbed oxygen is not simple. There was evidence of impurity effects in hydrogen environments, with measurements in vacuo being the...