Foundation scour as a geohazard

Carrying out a hazard assessment for offshore structures can entail the consideration of a number of different factors. Scour hazard assessments are routinely undertaken, and scour development at offshore structures should be considered a time-varying process. However, scour may take place within a morphologically dynamic environment, the combination of which will impact on the soil–structure–fluid response. This paper presents the analysis of an unique data set that shows the partial collapse of a scour hole at a large monopile foundation within a morphologically active site. The collapse suggests a slope failure mechanism, resulting in the movement of around 450 m3 of material within a period of about 75 min. The paper analyzes the processes involved regarding formation and development of the collapse.