Numerical Assessment of Scour Effects on the Ultimate Bearing Capacity of Rigid Helical Anchors in Clay Seabeds
7 affiliations
- 1State Key Laboratory of Hydraulic Engineering Intelligent Construction and Operation, Tianjin University, 92 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300072, China
- 2Department of Geotechnical Engineering, University of Kassel, 34125 Kassel, Hessen, Germany
- 3China Harbour Engineering Co., Ltd., Beijing 100027, China
- 4Tianjin Research Institute for Water Transport Engineering, Ministry of Transport, Tianjin 300450, China
- 5College of Harbour and Coastal Engineering, Jimei University, No185 Yinjiang Road, Xiamen 361021, China
- 6College of Architecture Engineering, Shanxi Vocational University of Engineering Science and Technology, Jinzhong 030619, China
- 7Technical College for the Deaf, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China
Abstract
Helical anchors represent a promising solution for anchor systems of floating offshore wind turbines, yet scour-induced changes to the seabed threaten anchor stability. The bearing capacity and failure mechanisms of helical anchors under such conditions have not been fully investigated. Finite element (FE) analyses examine scour geometry, anchor length, and soil heterogeneity (κ = kD/sum, where k is the undrained strength gradient, D is the shaft diameter, and sum is the surface strength). The results demonstrate that scour depth is the dominant factor governing bearing capacity, whereas scour width and slope angle have limited effects. Horizontal capacity is particularly sensitive to scour because the corresponding failure mechanism develops mainly within shallow soil. Increasing κ mitigates scour-induced capacity loss, with this effect being most pronounced as κ rises from 0 to 2, beyond which further increases yield diminishing benefit. Across different helical anchor embedment lengths, scour is shown to shift the critical embedment depth separating shallow and deep failure mechanisms, particularly under low soil heterogeneity. The effects of loading direction are further evaluated within the V-H loading space. Finally, predictive expressions are developed to capture the coupled effects of scour geometry, soil heterogeneity, and anchor length for engineering capacity assessment.
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BibTeX
@article{zhang2026numerical,
title = {{Numerical Assessment of Scour Effects on the Ultimate Bearing Capacity of Rigid Helical Anchors in Clay Seabeds}},
author = {Tingran Zhang and Libo Chen and Junbiao He and Yunlong Xu and Jiale Li and Hongzhen Chen and Tao Zhou and Ju Zhang and Le Wang},
journal = {Journal of Marine Science and Engineering},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/jmse14201926},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14201926},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Numerical Assessment of Scour Effects on the Ultimate Bearing Capacity of Rigid Helical Anchors in Clay Seabeds
AU - Tingran Zhang
AU - Libo Chen
AU - Junbiao He
AU - Yunlong Xu
AU - Jiale Li
AU - Hongzhen Chen
AU - Tao Zhou
AU - Ju Zhang
AU - Le Wang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
JO - Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
DO - 10.3390/jmse14201926
UR - https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14201926
AB - Helical anchors represent a promising solution for anchor systems of floating offshore wind turbines, yet scour-induced changes to the seabed threaten anchor stability. The bearing capacity and failure mechanisms of helical anchors under such conditions have not been fully investigated. Finite element (FE) analyses examine scour geometry, anchor length, and soil heterogeneity (κ = kD/sum, where k is the undrained strength gradient, D is the shaft diameter, and sum is the surface strength). The results demonstrate that scour depth is the dominant factor governing bearing capacity, whereas scour width and slope angle have limited effects. Horizontal capacity is particularly sensitive to scour because the corresponding failure mechanism develops mainly within shallow soil. Increasing κ mitigates scour-induced capacity loss, with this effect being most pronounced as κ rises from 0 to 2, beyond which further increases yield diminishing benefit. Across different helical anchor embedment lengths, scour is shown to shift the critical embedment depth separating shallow and deep failure mechanisms, particularly under low soil heterogeneity. The effects of loading direction are further evaluated within the V-H loading space. Finally, predictive expressions are developed to capture the coupled effects of scour geometry, soil heterogeneity, and anchor length for engineering capacity assessment.
SN - 2077-1312
ER -