A perspective on the state of knowledge regarding soil-pipe interaction for SCR fatigue assessments

The paper provides a review of the state of knowledge regarding the impact of soil response in the touchdown point region on Steel Catenary Riser (SCR) fatigue. For almost 20 years the impact of soil-pipe interaction on SCR fatigue has received considerable attention within the offshore geotechnical community. Over this course of time field measurements and a variety of experimental and analytical studies have been performed to determine the soil response necessary to characterize the soil-pipe interaction under long term loading conditions appropriate for fatigue. Little of this work has been integrated into existing codes and standards. This paper will summarize much of the new work to provide better insights on how to address the SCR fatigue problems and to serve as reference for future code modifications.