Breakout of submerged structures buried to a shallow depth

The results from a testing program designed to simulate the problem of lifting an object embedded in the ocean floor are presented and examined herein. The breakout force, defined as the force in excess of the submerged weight required to dislodge the object, was found to depend on the shear strength of the soil or sediment. The maximum breakout force occurs for undrained conditions and can be estimated from bearing capacity equations.The uplift pressure is transferred to the sediments by a reduction in pore-water pressure. If the reduction in pressure is limited by infiltration of water, or any other process, then a reduction in the breakout pressure will result.The reduction in breakout pressure that occurs when time for infiltration is allowed can be estimated from available solution curves from theory of consolidation.