Modified p-y curves for monopile foundation with different length-to-diameter ratio

Abstract

The soil reaction of the monopile foundation subjected to lateral loading in offshore wind turbines is typically assessed relying on p-y curves advocated by API. However, this method is inadequate for gradually increasing monopile diameters and significantly underestimates the lateral soil confinement. In the present works, a 3D pile-soil interaction finite element model was first established, considering the soil suction and strain hardening characteristics for the normally consolidated clay in China’s sea. Modifications to the p-y curves in API were accomplished in the comparative process between the lateral soil resistance-displacement curves retrieved from the finite element model and the representative expression. Furthermore, the prediction accuracy for the corrected p-y curves has been proved by forecasting the monopile lateral bearing capacity with varying length-to-diameter ratios, which also demonstrates that the modified p-y curves could successfully reflect the lateral soil confinement of the normally consolidated clay and flexible piles. It also provides an approach to assess the deformation response and horizontal ultimate bearing capacity of monopiles with different length-to-diameter ratios.