Lateral Load Field Testing of Monopiles in Dense Sand at Kilmuckridge

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4. Lateral Load Field Testing of Monopiles in Dense Sand at Kilmuckridge

Monopiles are the most widely used foundation solution for fixed offshore wind turbines due to their cost and simplicity. The design of monopiles is primarily governed by lateral loading. The current industry standard approach for predicting the lateral respsonse of monopiles requires the use of 3D Finite Element (FE) analysis which can be used directly or used to calibrate simpler 1D beam spring models (e.g. PISA approach). The methods used for calibrating soil constitutive models for use in 3DFE analysis are not standardised and is often a source of uncertainty. In addition, monopile design requires prediction of pile behaviour under cyclic loading, for which there is no standardised method. Geotechnical models used for design should be validated against experimental data, and ideally a database of large scale field tests. However, there is a dearth of lateral load field test results of monopiles in sands. This paper presents the plan for medium scale field testing of monopiles at a new dense sand test site in Kilmuckridge, Ireland. The paper presents the test plan and motivation for the monotonic and cyclic lateral load testing along with recent ground investigation data from the site and some preliminary class A predictions of the pile response which are used to design the test setup. 

5th International Symposium on Frontiers in Offshore Geotechnics (ISFOG2025)

8 - Monopile design to lateral monotonic loads