Plug monitoring during vibratory monopile driving in centrifuge testing
Plug monitoring during vibratory monopile driving in centrifuge testing
Monopiles are a common foundation type for offshore wind turbines. Compared with the impact driving method, vibratory installation is a potential alternative to improve the installation speed and reduce noise emissions. Plug development affects the soil resistance during driving (SRD) and the in-service capacity after monopile installation. However, studies on plug development in vibratory piling are limited compared to impact driving and jacking, which may hinder the application of purely vibration based installation. The driving properties and soil response of the vibration installation method are distinct from other methods and current understanding of plug evolution may not be applicable. This paper presents the setup of a centrifuge vibratory driving and monitoring system and outlines the preliminary results of a centrifuge model test investigating the plug development. A centrifuge model test was performed to drive an instrumented model pile in a dry medium-dense sand bed. Partial plugging was observed during the vibratory penetration, and the incremental filling ratio (IFR) showed that the partial plug was formed at the rapid installation stage of the driving. Further equipment development and testing will be undertaken based upon these preliminary findings.
Liqun Fang; Mike Brown; Craig Davidson; Yaseen Sharif
11th International Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics (ICPMG2026)
Special Session 3: Physical Modelling of Installation of Fixed OWT Foundations
https://doi.org/10.53243/ICPMG2026-184