I am in the process of designing a 1

[ayfarm]

I am in the process of designing a series of air nozzles for the purpose of reducing the interface soil friction/adhesion between a steel plated object and the adjacent undersea dense sand/silt soil strata, N>50<100 approx. This large object is being &quot;sunked&quot; plumb to about 80 ft. depth below the dense &quot;mudline&quot;. Seawater depth is about 110 ft having 3-5k current. Object has four vertical faces, tapered tip and hollow inside. The perimeter air nozzles will operate at about 300 psi working pressure generated by series of air compressors above water. Nozzles must have some kind of pressure/spring activated shut off valves to prevent soil plugs during shut downs. Size, shape, pressure drops, velocity and orientation of the nozzles are important to maximize their &quot;excavating&quot; role during this controlled &quot;sinking&quot;. Commercial availability is a factor. Thanks for any help. Roque Engineers

 

[johnp]

With this sort of design it is quite common to set up a test rig in a Laboratory Tank, because you need some decent data on the soil/mud interface with the nozzle.

It looks like you would need a nozzle, or orifice plate, then an open ended cup to keep the mud out and protect the nozzle. Have a look at your landing forces, and you will have an idea of the size of footprint you need and work back from there.

To control the air you can use a pilot operated shut-off valve, or a solenoid valve.