Analysis and Design of Monopile Foundations for Offshore Wind-Turbine Structures

Offshore wind turbines (OWTs) are generally supported by large-diameter monopiles, with the combination of axial forces, lateral forces, bending moments, and torsional moments generated by the OWT structure and various environmental factors resisted by earth pressures mobilized in the soil foundation. The lateral loading on the monopile foundation is essentially cyclic in nature and typically of low amplitude. This state-of-the-art review paper presents details on the geometric design, nominal size, and structural and environmental loading for existing and planned OWT structures supported by monopile foundations. Pertinent ocean-environment loading conditions, including methods of calculation using site-specific data, are described along with wave particle kinematics, focusing on correlations between the loading frequency and natural vibration frequency of the OWT structure. Existing methods for modeling soil under cyclic loading are reviewed, focusing in particular on strain accumulation models that consider pile–soil interaction under cyclic lateral loading. Inherent limitations/shortcomings of these models for the analysis and design of existing and planned OWT monopile foundations are discussed. A design example of an OWT support structure having a monopile foundation system is presented. Target areas for further research by the wind-energy sector, which would facilitate the development of improved analyses/design methods for offshore monopiles, are identified.     

Dynamic Finite Element Analysis for Interaction between Two Phase Saturated Soil Foundation and Platform

In this paper, the foundation soil of offshore structure is simulated as a two phase saturated porous medium. The dynamic equations of porous medium and finite element formulation are given. For structural analysis, the technique of multilevel substructure is used, and the saturated soil analysis is set in the highest level substructure model. Based on these theories a dynamic finite element analysis program DIASS for the analysis of interaction between two phase ocean soil foundation and platform structures has been developed. A numerical example is given here to illustrate the influence of the pore water in soil on the structural response of an ocean platform.     

Dynamic Analysis of A 5-MW Tripod Offshore Wind Turbine by Considering Fluid–Structure Interaction

Fixed offshore wind turbines usually have large underwater supporting structures.The fluid influences the dynamic characteristics of the structure system.The dynamic model of a 5-MW tripod offshore wind turbine considering the pile–soil system and fluid structure interaction(FSI) is established,and the structural modes in air and in water are obtained by use of ANSYS.By comparing low-order natural frequencies and mode shapes,the influence of sea water on the free vibration characteristics of offshore wind turbine is analyzed.On basis of the above work,seismic responses under excitation by El-Centro waves are calculated by the time-history analysis method.The results reveal that the dynamic responses such as the lateral displacement of the foundation and the section bending moment of the tubular piles increase substantially under the influence of the added-mass and hydrodynamic pressure of sea water.The method and conclusions presented in this paper can provide a theoretical reference for structure design and analysis of offshore wind turbines fixed in deep seawater.     

Dynamic Analysis of A 5-MW Tripod Offshore Wind Turbine by Considering Fluid–Structure Interaction

Fixed offshore wind turbines usually have large underwater supporting structures. The fluid influences the dynamic characteristics of the structure system. The dynamic model of a 5-MW tripod offshore wind turbine considering the pile–soil system and fluid structure interaction (FSI) is established, and the structural modes in air and in water are obtained by use of ANSYS. By comparing low-order natural frequencies and mode shapes, the influence of sea water on the free vibration characteristics of offshore wind turbine is analyzed. On basis of the above work, seismic responses under excitation by El-Centro waves are calculated by the time-history analysis method. The results reveal that the dynamic responses such as the lateral displacement of the foundation and the section bending moment of the tubular piles increase substantially under the influence of the added-mass and hydrodynamic pressure of sea water. The method and conclusions presented in this paper can provide a theoretical reference for structure design and analysis of offshore wind turbines fixed in deep seawater.     

The role of submerged berms on the momentary liquefaction around conventional rubble mound breakwaters

Berms deployed at the toe of conventional rubble mound breakwaters can be very effective in improving the stability of the armor layer. Indeed, their design is commonly tackled by paying attention to armor elements dimensioning. Past research studies showed how submerged berms can increase the stability of the armor layer if compared to straight sloped conventional breakwaters without a berm. To fill the gap of knowledge related to the interaction between breakwaters with submerged berm, waves and soil, this research aims to evaluate how submerged berms configuration influences the seabed soil response and momentary liquefaction occurrences around and beneath breakwaters foundation, under dynamic wave loading. The effects of submerged berms on the incident waves transformation have been evaluated by means of a phase resolving numerical model for simulating non-hydrostatic, free-surface, rotational flows. The soil response to wave-induced seabed pressures has been evaluated by using an ad-hoc anisotropic poro-elastic soil solver. Once the evaluation of the seabed consolidation state due to the presence of the breakwater has been performed, the dynamic interaction among water waves, soil and structure has been analyzed by using a one-way coupling boundary condition. A parametric study has been carried out by varying the berm configuration (i.e. its height and its length), keeping constant the offshore regular wave condition, the berm and armor layer porosity values, the water depth and the elastic properties of the soil. Results indicate that the presence of submerged berms tends to mitigate the liquefaction probability if compared to straight sloped conventional breakwater without a berm. In addition, it appears that the momentary liquefaction phenomena are more influenced by changing the berm length rather than the berm height.     

Pore pressure loads on gravity structures

It is common practice to compute wave-induced loads on the immersed surface of gravity structures exposed to the wave motion and disregard the pore-water pressure variation on the foundation surface. However, when the soil is porous, wave-induced pressures propagate within the soil under the structure and result in a rather significant contribution to overall loads. This paper describes a practical method for numerical modeling of the pore pressure under a gravity platform foundation for compressible water and a rigid, but porous soil. The porous soil may be bounded by an impermeable horizontal layer at some arbitrary depth.

The paper outlines the basic boundary element procedure for pore pressure analysis and presents numerical results for a typical gravity structure as well as results for comparison with an existing analytical solution for a vertical circular cylinder.     

管道结构垂向—侧向耦合管土作用机理性试验研究

钢制悬链线式立管的触地段与海床会发生频繁的相互作用,对管道的安全性影响很大。首先探索干土环境下管土作用的机理有助于更好地理解真实海况下管道—湿土作用规律。试验测试是研究管土作用最可信最直接的手段。进行了垂向及侧向管土作用机理性试验,根据土体抗剪强度验证了试验中相互作用机理与管道尺寸的无关性。研究了不同运动速度对土体反力的影响,发现运动速度对垂向及侧向管土作用均存在一定的放大效应,而垂向低速工况下放大效应不明显;接着分别研究了垂向与侧向管土作用的规律,分析了土体反力变化的成因,最后针对管土垂向—侧向的耦合效应进行研究,发现不同的垂向深度会极大地影响侧向管土作用。为后续的管道—含水土体相互作用试验奠定基础,也可为陆上管土作用相关研究提供参考与建议。     

Effect of strain-dependent dynamic properties of backfill and foundation soil on the external stability of geosynthetic reinforced waterfront retaining structure subjected to harmonic motion

A simplified method to determine the minimum length of reinforcement required for the external stability of waterfront reinforced soil structures under seismic conditions is presented. In the present analysis, strain-dependent dynamic properties (shear modulus and damping ratio) are used. The results obtained from the present method are well compared with the results of pseudo-static method of analysis. For the set of input parameters, the estimated minimum length of reinforcement required against sliding failure is nearly 27–29% higher for an input normalized frequency of 1.06 and is nearly 22–25% lower for another input normalized frequency of 1.94 when compared with the results of pseudo-static approach. This can be attributed to the mode change behaviour of the waterfront structure. In addition, the effect of foundation type on the external stability of waterfront reinforced soil structures has also been presented and it is found that the foundation type has a significant effect on the same. For the given set of input parameters, the length of minimum reinforcement required for a slope and vertical wall having a flexible foundation are about 26–28% and 32–38% larger than that of a slope and vertical wall with rigid foundation, respectively.     

管道终端及防沉板基础分析

管道终端（PLET）是水下生产系统的一个重要组成部分。管道终端的支撑结构与其防沉板基础为一体,具有结构简单、安装方便、重量轻等优点。以我国南海300m水深某油田环境条件作为设计基础,根据结构整体滑动的受力特点和具体的安装方式,考虑了底流的影响,利用SACS软件对在位和吊装两种工况进行了结构分析,确定了结构形式,选用了高强钢。对防沉板基础的承载力、沉降等情况进行了计算分析,结果表明,管道终端结构和防沉板基础满足力学性能和土质要求。     

Soil parameters used for design of gravity platforms in the North Sea

The foundation soils for most of the North Sea gravity platforms installed so far have been very stiff over-consolidated clays and dense sand. Two actual platform sites are described that are representative of these soil conditions. It is shown how the design soil parameters required for a geotechnical analysis of the platform foundation have been selected for these two sites. The results of in situ testing, laboratory tests and experience from existing platforms are used, with the main emphasis placed on procedures used at the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute.     

Unified numerical study of shallow foundation on structured soft clay under unconsolidated and consolidated-undrained loadings

Abstract

Based on a new elasto-plastic constitutive model, this paper presents a soil–water coupled numerical prediction of the bearing capacity for shallow foundation constructed on Ballina soft clay for unconsolidated undrained (UU) and consolidated undrained (CU) conditions. This elasto-plastic constitutive Shanghai model has an advantage of describing the mechanical behaviour of over-consolidated and structured soil under different loading and drainage conditions, by using one set of material parameter. In this paper, the Shanghai model used for both UU and CU conditions has the same initial parameters obtained from laboratory test results. The loading conditions and consolidation stages vary based on construction details. The predicted bearing pressure-settlement responses for UU and CU, approves the field observation. The phenomenon of gaining the bearing capacity due to consolidation is captured and explained by the use of soil–water coupled numerical analysis with a new elasto-plastic model. The stress strain behaviour, stress paths and the decay of the structure of elements at different depths presented in this study, reveal the mechanism for the difference between UU and CU conditions to understand the foundation behaviour. Effect of the initial degree of soil structure on the bearing capacity is also addressed. Overall, this approach provides the integrated solution for the shallow foundation design problems under short and long-term loadings.     

桶型基础结构与土壤相互作用的有限元—无限元—接触元耦合线性分析

桶型基础是一种新型的海洋基础结构型式，在负压作用下的下沉过程中，桶型基础结构与地基产生了相互作用，考虑结构与土壤的相互作用的强度分析为桶型基础的设计提供依据，本文将有限元－无限地－接触元相耦合的线性数值分析方法引入桶型基础的结构与土壤之间的相互作用的强度分析，采用接触单元考虑结构与土壤之间的错动滑移及拉裂，采用无限元更有效地反映地基无限域的远场效应，还推导出三节点，七节点，八节点三种新形式的单向无限地坐标映射函数，应用该方法的计算结果与模型试验结果比较，取得较好的效果。     

Settlement Mode Analysis for An Immersed Tube Tunnel Considering A Nonuniform Foundation Under Tidal Load

Immersed tube tunnels are usually placed on soft soil layers in cross-sea tunnelling engineering. Owing to the influence of stratum conditions and slope design, the longitudinal distribution of substratum layers is generally uneven. Thus, the inhomogeneous deformation of the element-joint becomes the key factor in the failure of the immersed tube tunnel. Therefore, a corresponding calculation method for joint deformation is needed to explore the deformation law of immersed tube tunnels. By constructing a three-section immersed tube tunnel analysis model (TTM), the relationship between the two types of deformation of the immersed tube tunnel structure in a longitudinal nonuniform soft soil foundation is described, and the deformation characteristics of the immersed structure under different boundaries are discussed. Based on the mechanical behaviour of the joint and foundation, according to the Timoshenko beam on the Vlasov two-parameter foundation (VTM), considering the tidal cyclic load during the operation and maintenance period, an example analysis is given. Moreover, the deformation characteristics and development trend of the immersed tube tunnel under the influence of different soil layers are discussed. The obtained results have a certain guiding significance for the deformation calculation of immersed tube tunnels.

     

Finite element modeling of the tensile capacity of suction caissons in cohesionless soil

When suction caissons are used as foundations for jacket structures, the caissons are exposed to significant vertical loads. If the self-weight of the structure is relatively low, a large horizontal load may lead to tension on the foundation on the incoming side. For steady loads, such as the wind load during production, the soil response will be drained. This paper presents the results from a series of finite element analysis (FEA) on suction caissons in cohesionless soil. The analyses are performed on suction caissons with different dimensions and different soil conditions. For normalization, dimensional analyses of the calculated results are performed to create dimensionless groups. The dimensionless groups are used to establish a relation between the normalized tensile capacity and the interface strength. This relation is used to establish two formulations of the drained tensile capacity for suction caissons in cohesionless soils. One for associated plasticity and one for non-associated plasticity with the dilatation angle equal zero.     

波浪荷载及土体特性对风电单桩基础水平变形影响规律

大直径单桩基础是海上风电应用广泛的一种基础形式,严格控制桩基泥面处的位移是保证基础稳定和风机安全运营的关键因素.通过数值方法建立了单桩—海床的三维模型,将可以描述海洋砂土超固结性和结构性的弹塑性本构模型通过UMAT子程序嵌入有限元软件ABAQUS中,桩基承受的波浪荷载通过Morison方程进行计算模拟.针对无波浪荷载、仅作用于海床的波浪荷载、同时作用于桩基和海床的波浪荷载三种情况,分析了海床土的动力响应以及桩基的水平位移之间的差异,探讨了海床土体参数对桩基水平变形的影响.研究结果表明海床土体液化会导致桩基水平变形增加,海床土渗透性、超固结性、结构性对桩基水平位移影响显著,研究成果可为海上风电单桩基础的设计与运维提供参考.     

Analysis of Dynamic Stability of Ocean Gravity Structure Foundations

Based on unified equivalent harmonic loading on seabed foundation and energy approach suggested by the authors, the development of dynamic pore water pressure and stability of soil foundation for the vibration of ocean gravity structures excited by random wave loading are analysed. It may be seen that the present method for the study of dynamic problems of ocean gravity structure soil foundations is more reasonable and convenient.     

Centrifuge modelling of an on-bottom pipeline under equivalent wave and current loading

Pipelines are the main element in transporting hydrocarbons from their extraction sites to on-shore or floating facilities, with preference now given to pipelines laid directly on the seabed due to their fast and economic installation. However, these pipelines are exposed and must be stable under all environmental conditions, and therefore, their design for on-bottom stability is of critical importance. Although accurate prediction of the pipe–soil interaction behaviour under hydrodynamic loads from waves and currents is of major concern, limited physical testing of pipes subjected to these cyclic loading conditions has occurred. Tests have concentrated on simpler load combinations in order to develop pipe–soil friction factors or the key parameters in plasticity models that described pipe–soil behaviour. In this paper, results from geotechnical centrifuge experiments of a model pipe on calcareous sand soil collected from offshore on the North West Shelf of Australia are presented. A sophisticated load control scheme allowed complex paths characteristic of hydrodynamic loads to be applied during the testing. Furthermore, pipe testing could be extended to relatively large horizontal movements of up to 5 pipe diameter. The results of the centrifuge testing programme provide improved understanding of the pipe–soil interaction under complex hydrodynamic load paths. They have also been used to assess a state-of-the-art plasticity model describing pipe–soil interaction on calcareous sands.     

桶形基础平台三维有限元稳定性分析

以我国第一座桶形基础采油平台工程实例为原型，采用三维有限元计算方法对桶形基础稳定性分析。平台在波浪、风等荷载作用下，其稳定性不仅与平台的整体结构有关，而且与桶形基础及其周围土体相互作用相关。在计算中，利用薄层摩擦单元模拟土与结构间的相互作用，取得了很好的效果。分析结果表明桶形基础采油平台在设计条件下运行是较为稳定的。     

大直径钢管桩土塞效应的判断和沉桩过程分析

港口工程和海洋工程中出现了越来越多的大直径超长钢管桩。由于这种桩直径较大,土塞的形成对桩的可打入性和承载力有较大的影响。鉴于此,根据大直径和超大直径钢管桩土塞性状的特殊性,考虑了桩直径对侧壁摩阻力、端阻力的影响,引入了尺寸效应系数,重新建立了土塞微分体的静力平衡方程,提出了采用改进的静力平衡法进行土塞效应判断,同时采用波动方程法近似模拟土塞与桩管内壁的相互作用,建立了简化的土塞与桩壁相互作用模型,并用该方法进行实际工程的打桩分析,分析结果表明该方法对土塞效应的判断、打桩过程的预测等与工程实测数据吻合较好。     

Stability Analysis of Aquatic-Sand Pile Composite Foundation Reinforcing for New Shore-Connecting Structure

The Yangshan deepwater port is the only container port built in the islands off the mainland of China. Batter piles with a sheet-pile-supported platform bulkhead structure were first used as a new shore-connecting structure to connect the front main wharf structure and the back land. Large-diameter sand columns were also used to reinforce the soft foundation of the shore-connecting structure in the deep water of the open sea. A 3D nonlinear FEM model based on real geological conditions was built to optimize the large-diameter sand columns’ reinforcing scheme and investigate shore-connecting structures’ mechanical properties under different construction conditions. The replacement ratio of 30%, the bottom elevation of the fourth soil layer, and the soft soil just below and directly adjacent to the shore-connecting structure were determined as optimal replacement ratio, reinforcing depths, and reinforcing area of the large-diameter sand columns reinforcement by assessing the force and deformation of the shore-connecting structure. By numerical computing, the maximum displacement of the supported platform was 11.03 cm, which was close to the measured value; and the piles’ maximum stress, displacement and moments were all smaller than the design strength. These indicated that the shore-connecting structure could remain stable by an optimal sand columns reinforcing scheme.