Site Investigations and Submarine Soil Mechanics in Polar Regions.

• Main Author: Chamberlain,Edwin J
• Other Authors: COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1981
• Subjects: Physical and Dynamic Oceanography; Soil Mechanics; Civil Engineering; *OCEAN BOTTOM SOILS; POLAR REGIONS; SITES; FEASIBILITY STUDIES; OFFSHORE STRUCTURES; SEDIMENTS; PERMAFROST; BEAUFORT SEA; UNDERWATER CONSTRUCTION; Beaufort Sea; Ice; permafrost
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA108269; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA108269

Placing oil exploration and production structures offshore in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea will require careful site investigation and evaluation of submarine soil mechanics. Ice-bonded permafrost occurs widely under the Beaufort Sea floor. Its engineering properties are important to the design of offshore structures. Highly overconsolidated clays also occur widely and interfere with access to gravels for constructing artificial islands. Sites should be selected to avoid ice-rich permafrost. Laboratory tests may need to be conducted to determine the potential hazards of thaw consolidation and weakening. (Author)