A Study on the Lateral Load Capacity of a Novel Hybrid Monopile via a Centrifuge Model Test

Ju-Hyung Lee, Tae-Young Kwak, Youn-Ju Jeong, Joonsang Park and Jae-Hyun Kim ()
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Ju-Hyung Lee: Department of Geotechnical Engineering Research, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, Goyang 10223, Republic of Korea
Tae-Young Kwak: Department of Geotechnical Engineering Research, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, Goyang 10223, Republic of Korea
Youn-Ju Jeong: Department of Structural Engineering Research, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, Goyang 10223, Republic of Korea
Joonsang Park: Section of Geohazards and Dynamics, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, P.O. Box 3930 Oslo, Norway
Jae-Hyun Kim: Department of Civil Engineering, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 21, 1-21

Abstract: Large-diameter monopiles that can safely support the lateral loads caused by wind and waves have been widely used for the foundations of offshore wind turbines. However, when the penetration depth is insufficient as a result of the presence of thick soft ground or it is difficult to penetrate rock, the lateral load capacity of the monopiles may be insufficient, leading to structural instability of the wind turbine system. To address this problem, hybrid monopiles have been proposed, which include appendages such as suction buckets attached around the monopiles installed on the seabed. Such suction buckets are arranged in the form of a tripod at 120° intervals with respect to the center of the monopile. These increase the bending resistance of the monopile by sharing the lateral load applied to it. Although the proposed monopiles were presented as conceptual foundation types, their actual support mechanisms and bearing capacity improvement effects must be verified experimentally. In this study, a centrifuge model test was conducted to identify the support mechanism of hybrid monopiles and the degree of improvement in their bearing capacity compared to the existing large-diameter monopiles. The experiment results showed that an appendage composed of suction buckets dispersed the load acting on the monopile, thereby significantly increasing its bearing capacity.

Keywords: offshore wind power; hybrid monopile; centrifuge model test; Saemangeum sand; lateral load capacity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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