الفهرس 
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Abstract
Due to the widespread use of jack-up rigs in the last few decades, there has been an increasing need for techniques that can predict their response efficiently. In this study, the Press-Replace Technique will be applied in context of the small displacement finite element method to investigate the penetration response of a circular spud-can foundation in multi-layer soil deposits. The suitable prescribed vertical displacement is applied at each phase by using a group of clusters, and the analysis is repeated for every penetration step until the full required penetration of spud-can is reached. The material properties of finite elements in the penetration area are adjusted at the start of each penetration phase to simulate the spud-can penetration progress. A proposal is presented to consider the effect of clay overflow around the edges of advancing spud-can during the penetration process. The present technique is validated by comparing its results with previous experimental tests and more complex finite element models. The comparison shows satisfactory agreements with lower computational efforts, and confirmed its efficiency for tracking the load penetration response of spud-can in multi-layer soil deposits. A parametric study will be carried out to evaluate the effect of the main properties of soil on the Punch-through phenomenon and the bearing capacity of soil spud-can system. This study is concerned with the penetration of a spud-can in stiff clay over either soft clay or loose sand soil.