DEEP-SEA SEDIMENTS. Physical and ivlechanical Properties

Transcription

1 DEEP-SEA SEDIMENTS Physical and ivlechanical Properties

2 MARINE SCIENCE Coordinating Editor: Ronald]. Gibbs, Northwestern University Volume 1-Physics 0/ Sound in Marine Sediments Edited by Loyd Hampton, 1974 An Office of Naval Research symposium Consulting Editors: Alexander Malahoff and Donald Heinrichs Department of the Navy Volume 2-Deep-Sea Sediments: Physical and Mechanical Properties Edited by Anton L. Inderbitzen, 1974 In Preparation: An Office of Naval Research symposium Consulting Editors: Alexander Malahoff and Donald Heinrichs Department of the Navy Natural Gases in Marine Sediments Edited by Isaac R. Kaplan An Office of Naval Research symposium Consulting Editors: Alexander Malahoff and Donald Heinrichs Department of the Navy Suspended Solids in Water Edited by Ronald J. Gibbs An Office of Naval Research symposium Consulting Editors: Alexander Malahoff and Donald Heinrichs Department of the Navy A Continuation Order Plan is available for this series. A continuation order will bring delivery of each new volume immediately upon publication. Volumes are billed only upon actual shipment. For further information please contact the publisher.

3 DEEP-SEA SEDIMENTS Physical and Mechanical Properties Edited by Anton L. Inderbitzen College of Marine Studies University of Delaware Lewes, Delaware PLENUM PRESS NEW YORK AND LONDON

4 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Main entry under tide: Deep-sea sediments: physical and mechanical properties. (Marine science, v. 2) Proceedings of a symposium conducted by the Ocean Science and Technology Division of the Office of Naval Research at Airlie House, Va., Apr , Includes bibliographies. 1. Marine sediments - Testing - Congresses. I. Inderbitzen, Anton L., ed. 11. United States. Office of Naval Research. Ocean Science and Technology Division. GC380.D ' ISBN ISBN (ebook) DOI / Proceedings of a symposium conducted by the Ocean Science and Technology Division of the Office of Naval Research on Physical and Engineering Properties of Deep-Sea Sediments held in Airlie, Virginia, April 24-27, Plenum Press, New York Softcover reprint ofthe hardcover 1st edition 1974 A Division of Plenum Publishing Corporation 227 West 17th Street, New York, N.Y United Kingdom edition published by Plenum Press, London A Division of Plenum Publishing Company, Ltd. 4a Lower John Street, London, WIR 3PD, England All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any me ans, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher

5 PREFACE As part of its continuing program to stimulate superior basic research in the marine environment, the Office of Naval Research, Ocean Science and Technology Division, sponsored a series of closed seminar-workshops in Each seminar focused upon one research area of marine geology which is relatively new and in need of a critical evaluation and accelerated support. The subjects areas chosen for the seminars were: 1. natural gases in marine sediments and their mode of distribution, 2. nephelometry and the optical properties of ocean waters, 3. physical and engineering properties of deep-sea sediments, and 4. physics of sound in marine sediments. The objectives of each seminar-workshop were to bring into sharper focus the state-of-the-science within each subject area, to effect some degree of coordination among the investigators working within each of these areas and to provide the Ocean Science and Technology Division guidance for national program support. This volume.contains most of the papers presented at the seminar on the physical and engineering properties of deep-sea sediments. The seminar was held at Airlie House, Airlie, Virginia on April 24-27, 1973 and was organized and chaired by A. Inderbitzen. The attendees were invited from among the leading investigators in this field from both the engineering and scientific disciplines. Each attendee was requested to prepare a paper within his area of speciality. The purpose of the papers was to present a fairly complete picture of the state of our present knowledge. Three workshops were also held during the seminar. Their purpose was to define the most serious problems presently facing this field of study, discuss possible solutions and recommend courses of action. All participants at the seminar contributed to the open give and take of the workshops and in the formulation of the recommendations as presented in v

6 vi PREFACE the workshop summaries at the end of this volume. Each of the three workshops addressed a different facet of this area of research and its problems. At the first workshop, the basic phenomena that we are studying were discussed in an attempt to try to determine the primary research goals upon which effort should be focused. The second workshop discussed the limitations of our present instrumentation and possible means of improving and expanding the research tools. A promising attempt was made in the third workshop to standardize units, symbols, nomenclature and some test techniques to be used in studying and reporting on the mechanical properties of marine sediments. It was hoped, by the participants, that these units, terms and techniques would be adopted by workers in this field of research and become standards through general acceptance and use. Results of all three workshops are presented at the end of this volume. The entire seminar-workshop was kept as informal as possible and open to continuous dialogue between scientists and engineers working in the field. Research work within this area of ocean science is being conducted by both scientists and engineers which often leads to a dichotomy in goals and techniques. It was the sincere hope of ONR that one by-product of this seminar-workshop would be a better understanding between engineers and scientists of each other's research goals, immediate problems, and approaches to solving these problems. Through a mutual understanding, greater progress will be made towards all of our research goals in studying the physical and mechanical properties of deep-sea sediments. I believe the seminar-workshop was successful in reaching its goals of summarizing the present state-of-the-science, recommending some focus to the direction of future research efforts and providing a means for open dialogue between fellow research workers. After reading these papers and the workshop summaries, I hope you agree. I would especially like to thank Mses. R. Foner, A. LeCates, and D. Fuhrman for their invaluable aid in editing and preparing the manuscripts for final typing and Ms. R. Stegner for typing the manuscripts. Without their help, I doubt if this book would have been published. University of Delaware January, 1974 Anton L. Inderbitzen

7 CONTENTS Preface v AN OVERVIEW OF THE SUBJECT Prediction of Deep-Sea Sediment Properties: State-of-the Art, by Edwin L. Hamilton 1 Marine Geomechanics: by Armand J. Silva Overview and Projections 45 Marine Geotechnical Properties: Interrelationships and Relationships to Depth of Burial by George H. Keller 77 Mechanics Problems and Material Properties by Louis J. Thompson 101 DETERMINATION OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES IN MARINE SEDIMENTS The Role of Laboratory Testing in the Determination of Deep-Sea Sediment Engineering Properties by Homa J. Lee 111 Strength and Stress-Strain Characteristics of Cemented Deep-Sea Sediments, by Vito A. Nacci, William E. Kelly, Mian C. Wang, and Kenneth R. Demars 129 An Analysis of the Vane Shear Test at Varying Rates of Shear, by Neil T. Monney 151 Usefulness of Spade Cores for Geotechnical Studies and Some Results from the Northeast Pacific by Royal Hagerty 169 vii

8 viii CONTENTS Settlement Characteristics of Sea-Floor Sediments Subjected to Vertical Loads by Herbert G. Herrmann Consolidation of Marine Clays and Carbonates by William R. Bryant, Andre P. Deflache, and Peter K. Trabant Deep-Sea Foundation and Anchor Engineering by Philip J. Valent Standardization of Marine Geotechnics Symbols, Definitions, Units, and Test Procedures by Adrian F. Richards APPLICATION OF PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT Soil Mechanics Considerations in the Design of Deep Ocean Mining Equipment by John E. Halkyard and John T. Fuller 293 Initial Penetration and Settlement of Concrete Blocks into Deep-Ocean Sediments by Frank Simpson, Anton L. Inderbitzen, and Atwar Singh 303 In Situ Measurement of Sediment Acoustic Properties During Coring, by Aubrey L. Anderson and Loyd D. Hampton 327 Sea Floor Soil Mechanics and Trafficabi1ity Measurements with the Tracked Vehicle "RUM" by Daniel K. Gibson and Victor C. Anderson 347 RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PHYSICAL, MECHANICAL AND GEOLOGIC PROPERTIES Erodibility of Fine Abyssal Sediment by John B. Southard The Effects of the Benthic Fauna on the Physical Properties of Deep-Sea Sediments by Gilbert T. Rowe Sedimentation in the Indian Ocean by Kol1a Venkatarathnam and James D. Hayes

9 CONTENTS ix Physical Properties of Sedimentary Provinces, North Pacific and North Atlantic Ocean by David R. Horn, Marilyn N. De1ach, and Barbara M. Horn The Application of Studies of Marine Sediment Dynamics, by Jean-Pierre Mizikos Deep-Sea Carbonates, by Richard Rezak Precipitation and Cementation of Deep-Sea Carbonate Sediments, by John D. Milliman SEMINAR WORKSHOPS Workshop I Phenomena 477 Workshop II Instrumentation Workshop III Standardization List of Participants and Contributors Index