The authors present a comprehensive numerical study on the lateral response of pile foundations in sands with a constant relative density. The influence of the pile configuration (length (L) diameter (D) and flexural rigidity), load eccentricity (h), sand type and relative density (Dr) was investigated. This discussion provides some additional insights on the lateral response of large diameter monopiles in uniform sand by combining the authors work with the observations in Wang et al. (2021) and Richards et al. (2021).

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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 lateral response is first discussed by drawing on field tests and numerical simulations and it is shown that the base generally provides a negligible contribution. The applicability of the API p-y formulation is then investigated through systematic FE analyses. The results show that this formulation leads to inaccurate predictions largely due to the assumption of a high initial stiffness varying linearly with depth and an unrealistic hyperbolic tangent back-bone function. Based on new insights into pile-soil interaction together with elastic simulations of laterally loaded rigid piles and new observations based on 26 pile tests, a simple rotational spring model is proposed to allow rapid quantification of the non-linear response of rigid monopiles in uniform sand. The effect of monopile flexibility is then added through a new straightforward correction factor based on 80 extra FE simulations. Finally, an example application of the proposed approach for a typical monopile design is presented.

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Monopiles are the most popular foundation for offshore wind turbines. These foundations typically have a low length to diameter ratio and undergo a rigid body rotation when subjected to lateral load. This paper presents results from an extensive numerical investigation involving 3D finite element analyses to demonstrate that the lateral moment-rotation response of a monopile in sand can be represented using a single non-linear rotational spring located at a depth of about 0.75 times the pile embedment. Expressions for the elastic rotational stiffness of a monopile under very low rotations are developed and these combined with observations from measured non-linear variations of rotational stiffness, that are supported by the numerical analyses, are used to develop a simple approximate expression that can be used to determine the response of a monopile to a monotonic lateral load in sand.

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There are clear advantages in the establishment of reliable, direct cone penetration test (CPT) based methods for assessment of the axial capacity of driven piles. These advantages motivated the formation of a joint industry project (JIP) under the management of the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), which initially led to the creation of a unified database of high-quality pile load tests in sand and clay. The unified database has the consensus approval of representatives of the profession and personnel in multiple companies from the offshore energy sector. This paper presents a component of the research from the second phase of the JIP, which had the objective of developing a new CPT-based method for driven piles in clay to unify several CPT-based methods that are in use today. First, a rational basis for the CPT-based formulation is described, using trends from instrumented pile tests; the description facilitates an understanding of the approach and illustrates its empirical nature and limitations. The unified database was used to calibrate the formulation and it led to good predictions for an independent database of pile load tests and for measured distributions of shaft friction.

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This paper outlines the development of a new ‘Unified’ CPT-based method for estimating the axial capacity of driven piles in sand. The method adapts key features of the four CPT-based methods currently in the API and ISO guidelines. The new method was calibrated with the Unified database of pile load tests developed as part of an earlier joint industry research project (Lehane et al. 2017). Key factors known to influence pile capacity are incorporated in the new Unified method formulation, including (i) the degree of soil displacement (plugging) during installation, (ii) the influence of relative pile tip depth, (iii) sand-pile interface friction angle, (iv) changes in radial stress during loading and (v) the influence of loading direction. It is shown that the new method provides more reliable predictions of the capacities of the pile load tests in the Unified database than any of the existing axial pile capacity design methods in the API and ISO guidelines.@en

A number of field studies suggest that the axial capacity of driven piles in sand increases with time. Field test programmes were performed by a number of research groups to examine this aspect of pile behaviour. The paper presents a summary of the findings from these experiments. It also reviews laboratory pile and element testing performed to provide further insights into the mechanisms controlling pile ageing.

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The paper presents the results of a series of laboratory and field model pile tests performed to study the factors controlling the base pressure - settlement reponse of piles in sand. One series of tests involved the installation and load testing of steel open- and closed-ended piles in loose sand contained in a large pile testing chamber. A second series involved tests on open- and closed-ended steel piles and a concrete bored pile at a dense sand test bed site. The experiments were designed to investigate the effects of pile type, sand consistency, and installation resistance on a pile's base response during static loading. The tests revealed that both the base capacity and stiffness of piles in sand are controlled by the degree of prestress imposed on the soil below the pile tip. Simple expressions, which require the small strain stiffness and cone penetration test data as the input parameters, are developed to predict the base pressure - settlement response. The final part of the paper employs other field tests on full-scale displacement piles and bored piles to verify the validity of the proposed approach.

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This paper describes results from an experimental programme that investigated factors affecting the shaft capacity of open-ended (pipe) piles in sand. A number of jacked pile installations in a test chamber filled with loose sand were performed using both open- and closed-ended, 114 mm diameter piles. The test series was designed to investigate the effects of in situ stress level, pile end condition, and degree of plugging on the development of pile shaft resistance. The results indicate that the maximum local shaft resistance that can develop at a given location on a pipe pile may be expressed as a function of the incremental filling ratio of the soil plug during installation, the cone penetration test (CPT) q_c value, and the relative position of the pile toe. The experimental results allowed a simple expression to be developed for the plug resistance during pile installation, and this is used in conjunction with a popular design method for closed-ended piles to provide a means of estimating the shaft capacity of open-ended piles. The new approach is shown to provide good estimates of overall shaft capacity and skin friction distribution.

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The paper presents the results from an experimental program carried out at Trinity College Dublin, in which instrumented model piles were jacked into loose dry sand in a large testing chamber. A number of pile installations were carried out to study the effects of in situ stress, diameter, and wall thickness on the behavior of open-ended piles in sand. These indicated that plug stiffness and capacity may be expressed as simple functions of the cone penetration test end resistance and the incremental filling ratio prior to loading. The magnitude and distribution of shear stresses measured on the inner wall are shown to be compatible with existing experimental data and can be related directly to the stress level, interface friction angle, and dilation of the sand at the pile wall. The data are shown to facilitate a better understanding of the factors controlling plug resistance.

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