Lateral behavior of monopiles in sand under monotonic loading: Insights and a new simple design model

This paper presents a synthesis of recent and new research conducted by the authors on laterally loaded monopiles in drained sand. The research involved reduced-scale field tests, centrifuge model tests, finite element (FE) simulations and comparisons of design approaches with published experimental data. The influence of the monopile base on...

Evaluating operational strategies for the installation of offshore wind turbine substructures

The construction of offshore wind farms requires solving more and more complex logistical problems due to the increasing sizes of turbines and changing environments. In particular, the installation of substructures requires attention due to their significant impact on capital expenditures and the limited literature and guidelines available. In...

Perforation of Monopiles to Reduce Hydrodynamic Loads and Enable use in Deep Waters

The offshore wind industry in Europe has experienced significant growth in the past decade, with wind farm development mostly focusing on the shallow area's in the North Sea. Naturally, the market is driven to reduce the Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCoE) to become more competitive with fossil fuels and less dependent on government subsidies....

Centrifuge benchmark testing of laterally loaded monopiles in sand

The large diameter monopile is a commonly used foundation concept for offshore wind turbines. The advantages of geometrical simplicity and reliable performance make it often the most attractive solution. Despite the concept’s high popularity, optimisation of the current design models can still be made. To address fundamental understanding of...

PISA:: Recent developments in offshore wind turbine monopile design

This paper provides a brief overview of the Pile Soil Analysis (PISA) project, recently completed in the UK. The research was aimed at developing new design methods for laterally loaded monopile foundations, such as those supporting offshore wind turbine structures. The paper first describes the background to the project and briefly outlines the...

Performance of CPT-based methods to assess monopile driveability in North Sea sands

Offshore pile driving is a high-risk activity as delays can be financially punitive. Experience of pile driving for offshore jacket structures where pile diameters are typically < 2 m has led to the development of empirical pile driveability models with proven predictive capability. The application of these methods to larger diameter piles...

3D FEM approach for laterally loaded monopile design

Over the past 5 years, a substantial research effort aimed at optimising the design of offshore wind turbines has led to significant reductions in the projected cost of developing offshore wind. Optimising the geotechnical design of these structures, through modern analysis techniques such as 3D Finite Element Modelling (FEM), has played a...