Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Abstract The characteristics and mechanism of the interaction between seabed foundations and seabed soil are crucial for comprehending the bearing capacity mechanism of seabed foundations. To observe the movement of foundations in seabed soil and the deformation mechanisms of seabed soil, transparent clay and transparent sand with similar mechanical properties to seabed soft clay and sand were prepared in this paper. A transparent soil-PIV model test system was developed to investigate the interaction between seabed foundations and seabed soil. The test system comprises an actuator, a charge-coupled device camera, a control system and two laser devices. The T-bar penetration test and the plate anchor keying test were conducted in transparent clay and transparent sand, respectively, using the developed model test system. The soil flow mechanism during T-bar penetration and the keying behavior of the plate anchor were observed. Results indicated that during the penetration of T-bar, a trapped cavity is formed above the T-bar. The trapped cavity hinders the soil flow and prevents it from entering the full-flow mechanism. The peak load is reached when the anchor rotates to an angle of 24 ° from the horizontal plane during the keying process. The soil deformation is classified as a shallow failure mechanism, with the affected area extending from the anchor to the sand surface. This study provides a novel approach to investigate the interaction mechanism between seabed foundations and seabed soil.
Zhang et al. (Sun,) studied this question.