Marine pipeline soil friction coefficients from in-situ testing

Abstract Tests to measure the soil resistance to lateral pipeline sliding were conducted in 9.15 and 18.3m of water depth in the Gulf of Mexico. The tests were performed with a special vehicle towed from a boat. The vehicle was constructed from two pipeline segments—the one simulating sliding and the other rolling. Tow force data were obtained for sand and clay soils and were analysed with the Coulomb friction model to derive sliding friction coefficients. The data analysis focused on the friction coefficients from inception of vehicle movement to the instant of maximum soil resistance. The coefficients calculated for the maximum soil resistance were 0.45 and 0.75 for the clay and sand, respectively, and these values are consistent with coefficients in the public domain from comparable laboratory tests.