API TR 2PY

Description

Fixed offshore platform pile foundation design and assessment in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) has been based on API RP 2A (various editions) and API/ISO RP 2GEO 1st Edition. Over the years, post-hurricane observations of the platform performance in the GOM have shown that these standards tend to underestimate soil stiffness and capacity. This underprediction does not necessarily lead to conservative structural design and assessment. For example, fatigue design requires a realistic estimate of structural dynamics and strength design with a clear definition of structural load path and failure mechanism. Research work, consisting of small- and large-scale pile tests, laboratory testing, and numerical analyses, has been carried out for years to understand this conservatism and define best-estimate geotechnical criteria, i.e. best-estimate soil lateral reaction for pile foundation design. These efforts culminated in the proposed draft of API/ISO RP 2GEO 2nd Edition, which systematically re