Bearing Capacity of a Monopod Bucket Foundation for Offshore Wind Towers - Centrifuge and Numerical Modeling

In order to evaluate the bearing capacity behaviour of a monopod suction bucket foundation for an offshore wind tower at the western sea of Korea, a centrifuge load test and numerical analyses were performed. The monopod bucket foundation was designed to be installed in a silty sand layer. The model soil was prepared to simulate a target site by using soil samples having similar properties and controlling relative density. In-flight miniature cone penetration test and bender element array were used to confirm that the model soil had represented the target site conditions. The load - rotation curve of the centrifuge load test was analysed. A series of numerical analyses were performed to validate the experimental conditions. Self-weight of the model, distance to the boundary and elastic modulus of the soil layer were varied to study their effects on the load - rotation curves.