Transient Pore-Pressure Imaging of Plug Formation during Caisson Penetration
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71465/jgs71Keywords:
Soil Plugging, Caisson Foundations, Pore-Pressure Imaging, Offshore Geotechnics, Penetration ResistanceAbstract
The installation of open-ended caisson foundations for offshore structures is frequently complicated by the phenomenon of soil plugging, which significantly alters penetration resistance and foundation stability. Understanding the real-time dynamics of plug formation remains a critical challenge in geotechnical engineering due to the opaque nature of soil-structure interactions and the limitations of traditional post-installation measurements. This paper presents a novel approach to monitoring and analyzing soil plugging through transient pore-pressure imaging during caisson penetration. By deploying a high-density array of miniature piezoresistive sensors within a large-scale calibration chamber, we successfully captured the spatiotemporal evolution of excess pore-water pressures both inside and outside the caisson. The data was processed using advanced interpolation algorithms to generate dynamic, two-dimensional cross-sectional images of pore-pressure fields. These images reveal the localized shear zones, the transition from fully coring to partially plugged states, and the eventual formation of a rigid soil plug. Our findings demonstrate that abrupt changes in inner pore-pressure gradients serve as highly reliable precursors to plug locking. The continuous imaging technique offers unprecedented insights into the hydromechanical coupling that governs plug friction and arching effects. The results provide a robust empirical basis for refining predictive models of penetration resistance, ultimately contributing to safer and more cost-effective offshore foundation design.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Matheus Almeida (Author)
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All articles published in the Journal of Geospace Science (JOGSS) are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license allows others to share, copy, distribute, and adapt the work, provided proper attribution is given to the original author(s) and source.