Monopile under lateral loading: centrifuge testing and numerical investigation

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4. Monopile under lateral loading: centrifuge testing and numerical investigation

Monopiles are widely used as a supporting structure for offshore wind turbines. Their response directly affects the overall behavior and performance of the offshore wind turbine system; thus, they have been a focal point of extensive research in the last decade. The need for three-dimensional FEA modeling of the foundation and the importance of selecting an appropriate soil constitutive model have been demonstrated by recent studies (e.g., the PISA project), setting a cornerstone in the offshore wind industry. In this underway study, the lateral loading response of offshore wind turbine monopiles in dense to very dense sand is investigated through an extensive testing program using the geo-centrifuge at TU Delft. The experimental results obtained at 50-g will be upscaled to the prototype scale for comprehensive analysis. Key aspects of this study include the comparison of the lateral response under monotonic loading via numerical analyses performed with PLAXIS software. The numerical simulations span a broad spectrum, from basic models to sophisticated methods based on critical state theory, enhancing the accuracy of predictions to realistically capture the findings from experimental pushover analysis. By bridging experimental and numerical approaches in a high-fidelity testing environment, this study strives to contribute essential knowledge and valuable insights for enhancing the reliability and performance of monopile foundations in challenging offshore conditions.

5th European Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics (ECPMG2024)

Onshore and offshore foundation systems