Experimental and numerical investigation of submarine telecommunication cable responses to earthquake-induced seabed movements

In recent years, malfunctions of submarine telecommunication cables caused by abrupt seabed movements have been observed worldwide. However, the mechanism of cable failure under geohazards is not completely clear, and methods for evaluating cable safety are still limited. Physical model tests and finite element analyses were conducted in this study to investigate the change in cable axial strain under abrupt lateral seabed movements. The sensitivities of soil properties, offset characteristics, and cable anchored lengths were investigated. The results show that under the same offset distance, the increase in the crossing angle and cable anchored length can lead to a decrease in the axial cable strain. A regression relationship between the maximum cable strain and the related parameters was obtained based on the numerical results, which can clarify the cable-seabed interaction and provide a basis for the safety evaluation of submarine telecommunication cables subjected to abrupt seabed movements. Support is gratefully acknowledged.