Numerical simulation of the penetration process of ship anchors in sand

In order to study the burial depth of submarine power cables in the German North Sea, the penetration process of ships' anchors in seabed soil was simulated by using the coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian method in Abaqus/Explicit. In the 3D finite element model the sandy seabed was simulated with different densities under both drained and undrained conditions. The resulting penetration mechanism of a ship anchor in sand was verified by field test data. It showed that under specific conditions the penetration depth of a ship's anchor could be more than 1.5 m, which is suggested in "Bundesfachplan Offshore für die deutsche ausschließliche Wirtschaftszone der Nordsee 2012 und Umweltbericht" [8] as the standard burial depth of submarine power cables in the German North Sea by Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie (BSH).