Finite-Element Analysis of the Lateral Load Response of Monopiles in Layered Sand
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 148, Issue 4
Abstract
Most of the existing design methods for laterally loaded monopiles were developed for uniform soil profiles. The application of such design methods in cases involving layered sand profiles can lead to incorrect capacity estimations. In order to investigate the impact of the soil layering on the response of monopiles to lateral loads and to develop a design method that is applicable to layered soil profiles, a series of three-dimensional (3D) finite-element (FE) analyses were performed on laterally loaded monopiles embedded in layered sand profiles using an advanced two-surface-plasticity constitutive model. The analyses take into consideration a wide range of pile geometries (pile diameter, slenderness ratio, and wall thickness), load eccentricities, sand types and relative densities, and layered soil profiles. The study examines the change of the lateral capacity of a monopile in a two-layer sand profile as the top layer thickness varies, as well as the impact of the presence of a thin loose-sand layer in a dense-sand profile on the pile lateral capacity. Based on the results of these analyses, a set of design equations is proposed to estimate the lateral capacity and load-rotation response of monopiles in layered sand profiles. The proposed method accounts for the 3D pile–soil interaction and provides estimates of the lateral capacity that are in close agreement with those obtained from the 3D FE analyses.
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Data Availability Statement
Data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 148 • Issue 4 • April 2022
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 27, 2020
Accepted: Oct 22, 2021
Published online: Jan 19, 2022
Published in print: Apr 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Jun 19, 2022
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Cited by
- Prakash Ankitha Arvan, Rahul Dev Raju, Madasamy Arockiasamy, Offshore Wind Turbine Monopile Foundation Systems in Multilayered Soil Strata under Aerodynamic and Hydrodynamic Loads: State-of-the-Art Review, Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction, 10.1061/PPSCFX.SCENG-1198, 28, 3, (2023).