CASE STUDY ABOUT THE AFFECTED AREA OF BARE PIPELINE ON THE SEABED SOIL IN YELLOW RIVER ESTUARY

Bare pipelines affect the seabed soil's strength and consolidation under wave and tidal actions, while the influence scope is an unsolved problem. In August 2005 and September 2006, there were two insitu measurements in the pipeline affected area, which was near the Shengli Oilfield's 106 drilling platform in the Yellow River Estuary, and the pipeline was abandoned and once used to transmit oil. Based on the test results, a series of interesting phenomena were obtained. Under the hydrodynamic force along the hor-izontal direction,the seabed soil's strength and uniform became poorer within 2 m distance to the pipeside, and heterogeneity also increased greatly within the 0~40 cm depth range to form stratification. The find-ings provide support to the simulation tests about the soil changes under the pipeline-wave action.