Breakout force required for jack-up spudcan extraction from sand-over-clay seabeds

Spudcan retrieval from clay soils remains a major concern offshore as the extraction force required to overcome suction and soil resistance often exceeds the pulling capacity available on the mobile jack-up, causing extensive delays. Although methods to calculate extraction resistance have been recently suggested for seabeds of pure clay, to date there is no guidance available for the commonly encountered sand-over-clays. Based on failure mechanisms observed in half-spudcan visualisation tests, and calibrated against an extensive geotechnical centrifuge database of precisely measured extractions, this paper presents a method for calculating the force required to extract the spudcan foundations of mobile jack-up platforms after they have penetrated through a sand layer into underlying clay. Complexities, such as the strength degradation and strength recovery of the underlying clay soil, that occurs during spudcan installation and jackup operations, are accounted for. Validation of the proposed method is demonstrated by retrospective prediction of the centrifuge testing database. The method outlined will allow operators of jack-up platforms to assess the extraction force prior to jack-up installation and to plan operational scenarios based on seabed conditions.