Numerical Analysis of a Suction Bucket Penetrating in Sand with a Combined Lagrangian – SPH Approach

Abstract The penetration of a suction bucket in the soil redistributes the soil stress state and influences the interactions between the foundation and the surrounding environment. However, few finite element studies on suction buckets consider the influence of the installation phase. In this paper, a combined Lagrangian – Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics method (SPH) under large deformations is adopted to simulate the installation phase and the behavior of the foundation submitted later on to static loadings. The numerical model is validated using laboratory experimental results that prove the ability of the combined Lagrangian – SPH method to reproduce the suction bucket installation, the soil stress state redistribution and the various interactions.