In the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, a groundbreaking study is redefining how we understand the behavior of floating piles in the energy sector. Dr. Hiep Toan Luong, a civil engineering expert from HUTECH University, has published a paper that could significantly impact the design and safety of offshore structures, particularly those subjected to dynamic loads. His research, published in the journal Soils and Foundations, delves into the torsional dynamic response of floating piles in radially inhomogeneous saturated soils, a topic of paramount importance for the energy industry.
Offshore structures, such as wind turbines and oil platforms, rely heavily on floating piles to anchor them to the seabed. These piles are subjected to dynamic loads, including waves, winds, and earthquakes, which can induce torsional vibrations. Understanding how these piles behave under such conditions is crucial for ensuring the safety and longevity of these structures.
Luong’s study addresses a critical gap in current knowledge by considering the disturbance caused by the pile construction process itself. “The soil around a pile isn’t uniform,” Luong explains. “The process of driving the pile into the ground disturbs the soil, creating a radially inhomogeneous environment. This disturbance significantly influences the pile’s torsional dynamic response, a factor that has been largely overlooked in existing solutions.”
To tackle this complex problem, Luong and his team developed a novel approach. They divided the disturbed soil into a series of annular zones and proposed a varying-parameter dimensionless function to represent the tangential displacement in the radial direction. By employing energy principles and a variational approach, they established governing equations for the pile-soil system subjected to dynamic torque applied at the pile head.
One of the standout features of this research is its ability to account for factors that have been ignored or not fully considered in previous studies. “Our method can consider the soil behavior beneath the pile base and the vertical shear strain,” Luong notes. “These are critical aspects that can affect the pile’s dynamic response, especially in the energy sector where structures are often subjected to high dynamic loads.”
The implications of this research are far-reaching. For the energy sector, it means more accurate and reliable designs for offshore structures, leading to improved safety and reduced maintenance costs. For the construction industry, it offers a more comprehensive understanding of pile-soil interactions, paving the way for innovative design solutions.
The study’s accuracy was verified through comparisons with established analytical solutions, and parametric studies were conducted to investigate the influence of soil properties and excitation frequencies on the pile head dynamic stiffness and damping. These findings provide valuable insights for engineers and researchers working in the field.
As the energy sector continues to push the boundaries of offshore construction, research like Luong’s becomes increasingly vital. By shedding light on the complex interactions between piles and soils, this study is set to shape future developments in the field, ensuring that our offshore structures are not only robust but also sustainable. The journal Soils and Foundations, known in English as ‘Soils and Foundations’ is where this research was published.
