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COFS academic Dr Shiaohuey Chow has received a UWA Research Collaboration Award to collaborate with Dr Andrea Diambra of The University of Bristol. The project “Plate Anchors for Offshore Renewable Energy Application: Predicting Cyclic Behaviour in Sand” will use centrifuge and numerical modelling to investigate the behaviour of plate anchors in sandy soils.

Plate anchors have traditionally been used in hydrocarbon exploration to moor large floating structures in deep water clayey soils, but they also provide a promising anchoring solution for the shallow, sandy seabeds typically associated with renewable energy devices.

This new research project will use centrifuge modelling to understand the undrained cyclic capacity of plate anchors in sand. Once the results of the centrifuge modelling have been established, Dr Chow and Dr Diambra will use the University of Bristol’s hardening memory surface (HSM) model to develop and validate a macro-element model that will simulate the progressive deformation and strength changes induced by cyclic loads on plate anchors.

Offshore renewable energy sources have the potential to contribute to meeting increasing global energy demand, and government targets for clean energy.

Media references

Dr Shiaohuey Chow , Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems, +61 8 6488 6930