Wave-induced pore pressures and effective stresses in inhomogeneous seabed foundations

Abstract Stability analyses of homogeneous and inhomogeneous seabed foundations under attack by storm waves are made by calculating the wave-induced effective stresses. Wave-induced effective stress analysis of homogeneous seabed is made using the theory previously developed by the author which is based on the poro-elastic theory of Biot. Effective stresses in inhomogeneous seabeds induced by waves are calculated by approximating aa inhomogeneous bed by many layers of homogeneous soils each of which has different geotechnical soil properties. A good agreement is obtained between the theory and the pore pressure data from in situ field measurements. For a given wavelength, it is found that there exists a most unstable thickness of homogeneous seabed when the thickness is one-fifth of the wave length. As a realistic example of an inhomogeneous bed, the effective stresses in a typical seabed formation at the Mississippi Delta area of the Gulf of Mexico under the attack of design storm waves are calculated. The numerical results indicate that the storm waves induce a continuous submarine landslide which extends as deep as 9 m from the mud line. Numerical calculations also indicate that such landslides and liquefaction of seabeds can be prevented by placing a layer of concrete blocks or rubble on top of the seabeds.