Understanding and accurately modelling monopile behaviour is a central challenge in modern offshore wind geotechnics, often requiring, for detailed design, robust finite-element (FE) simulations supported by well-calibrated constitutive models. This study critically evaluates and advances the application of 3D FE modelling for laterally loaded monopiles using the SANISAND-MS model, informed by a comprehensive experimental programme ranging from element-scale testing to centrifuge modelling under both monotonic and cyclic loading, in dry and saturated sand. This work investigates strategies for the reliable calibration of the SANISAND-MS constitutive model. Key calibration challenges are addressed, including limitations in test data availability, variability in material response, and the alignment of model parameters with soil strain levels representative of realistic operational scenarios. The study further highlights practical considerations and limitations associated with the use of SANISAND-MS, particularly when extrapolating features of foundation response observed in physical modelling to full-scale conditions. For the cases considered herein, comparisons between numerical simulations and experimental data show good agreement in dry conditions, whereas reduced accuracy in saturated cases underscores the need for a more detailed treatment of, among other factors, soil–pile interface behaviour and loading-rate effects on excess pore water pressure generation. Overall, the findings provide valuable guidance for improving the fidelity of advanced FE simulations for offshore monopile design.

Offshore monopile foundations are exposed to misaligned wind and wave loadings, which are respectively dominated by (nearly) static and cyclic load components. While the response of these systems to unidirectional cyclic loading has been extensively investigated, only a few studies have been devoted to the realistic case of misaligned static and cyclic loads, and particularly to the effects of such misalignment on the accumulation of pile rotation under prolonged cycling. This paper presents a 3D finite-element (FE) modelling study on the relationship between load misalignment and cyclic monopile tilt under drained conditions, based on the use of the SANISAND-MS model to enable accurate simulation of cyclic sand ratcheting. After qualitatively identifying the relationship between relevant loading parameters and cyclic stress/densification mechanisms in the soil, specific parametric studies are performed to explore the impact on pile tilt accumulation. The results show that, in comparison to unidirectional loading, misaligned static–cyclic loading gives rise to lesser-known pile–soil interaction mechanisms: when the direction of cycling deviates from that of the static load, “cyclic compression” and “direct cyclic shearing” mechanisms begin to co-exist. This is quantitatively captured by a newly proposed empirical equation for monopile tilt calibrated against the 3D FE simulation results obtained in this work.

This paper uses 3D numerical analyses to investigate the stress path experienced by soil elements around large diameter piles in sand subjected to monotonic drained lateral loading. Inspection of the loading-induced stresses in the soil revealed the multiaxial nature of these stress paths, which are characterised by rotation of one or more principal stress axes. Based on the outcome of the finite element analyses, typical stress paths for different soil elements around the piles are extracted. Such stress paths are then evaluated against those enabled by conventional and advanced laboratory soil element testing. It is found that a combination of tests in the Hollow Cylinder Torsional Apparatus (HCTA) can reproduce most features of the numerically identified stress paths for soil elements around the pile. Unavoidable limitations in laboratory testing are discussed as well as the major challenge in replicating the loading direction with respect to the material axes. Some guidance for the experimental implementation of these stress paths in the HCTA are provided as well as a discussion on the use of conventional experimental equipment, such as the conventional triaxial or simple shear apparatus.

Offshore monopiles accumulate permanent tilt under long-lasting cyclic environmental loads. Accurate prediction of monopile tilt is key to assessing their serviceability, and requires a fundamental understanding of loading history effects. While both experimental and numerical studies are shedding light on this matter, this work uses step-by-step implicit 3D FE modelling to investigate loading history effects in the response to cyclic lateral loading of monopiles in sand and to identify links between local soil behaviour and relevant features of global pile behaviour. For this purpose, the recently developed SANISAND-MS model is adopted to achieve a reliable simulation of sand's cyclic ratcheting. In particular, the validity of an up-scaled Miner's rule for monopile tilting under multi-amplitude cyclic loading is assessed based on the results of 3D FE parametric analyses, with emphasis on the role played by the engineering idealisation of random environmental loading. The validity of such a rule has been numerically investigated both in terms of local soil element response and global foundation behaviour — for the particular case of a large-diameter monopile. In respect, the effect of the loading history idealisation is presented, and it is concluded that Miner's rule does not always rigorously apply to all the cases considered herein. The translation of irregular loading histories into a regular version with loading packages sorted in ascending amplitude order is shown to be a reasonable approach, at least when the possibility of cyclic pore pressure build-up is disregarded.