Technical Papers
May 13, 2021

Vertical Bearing Behavior of Monopod Caisson Foundation in Sandy Soils

Publication: Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Volume 147, Issue 4

Abstract

This paper presents the results of numerical investigation on the vertical bearing behavior of monopod caisson foundations embedded in sandy soils and supporting offshore wind turbines. The effects of embedment depth and internal soil plug were investigated. The magnitude of lateral soil deformation at the foundation tip is noted to increase with skirt length and it remains greater in comparison with that of an embedded solid foundation. The internal soil plug is found to have a cushioning effect during the transfer of superstructure load to the soil mass underneath the foundation tip. This leads to a reduction in the end-bearing component of vertical capacity when compared with that of an embedded solid foundation. The failure of the soil at the tip resembles the shape of an inverted parabola in the case of caisson foundation and that of an upright parabola for the embedded solid foundation. Based on the results, predictive expressions have been proposed to determine the ultimate vertical bearing capacity of the caisson foundation and its settlement for the range of geometry and superstructure load considered in the study.

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.

Data Availability Statement

Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Subroutine code
Numerical simulation files
All the data obtained from numerical simulations relevant to this study

Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to the reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions, which have helped in improving the manuscript.

References

Achmus, M., C. T. Akdag, and K. Thieken. 2013. “Load-bearing behavior of suction bucket foundations in sand.” Appl. Ocean Res. 43 (1): 157–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apor.2013.09.001.
Ahmed, S. S., and B. Hawlader. 2016. “Numerical analysis of large-diameter monopiles in dense sand supporting offshore wind turbines.” Int. J. Geomech. 16 (5): 04016018. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0000633.
Al-Aghbari, M. Y., and R. K. Dutta. 2008. “Performance of square footing with structural skirt resting on sand.” Geomech. Geoeng. 3 (4): 271–277. https://doi.org/10.1080/17486020802509393.
Barari, A., and L. B. Ibsen. 2014. “Vertical capacity of bucket foundations in undrained soil.” J. Civ. Eng. Manage. 20 (3): 360–371. https://doi.org/10.3846/13923730.2013.801915.
Barari, A., L. B. Ibsen, A. Taghavi Ghalesari, and K. A. Larsen. 2017. “Embedment effects on vertical bearing capacity of offshore bucket foundations on cohesionless soil.” Int. J. Geomech. 17 (4): 04016110. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0000782.
Bransby, M. F., and M. F. Randolph. 1999. “The effect of embedment depth on the undrained response of skirted foundations to combined loading.” Soils Found. 39 (4): 19–33. https://doi.org/10.3208/sandf.39.4_19.
Bransby, M. F., and G. J. Yun. 2009. “The undrained capacity of skirted strip foundations under combined loading.” Géotechnique 59 (2): 115–125. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.2007.00098.
Byrne, B. W., and G. T. Houlsby. 2002. “Experimental investigations of response of suction caissons to transient vertical loading.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 128 (11): 926–939. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2002)128:11(926).
Byrne, B. W., F. Villalobos, G. Houlsby, and C. Martin. 2003. “Laboratory testing of shallow skirted foundations in sand.” In Proc. British Geotechnical Association Int. Conf. on Foundations, 161–173. Dundee, Scotland: Thomas Telford Limited and London.
EAU (Empfehlungen des Arbeitsausschusses für Ufereinfassungen). 2004. Recommendations of the committee for waterfront structures: Harbours and waterways. Berlin: Ernst & Sohn.
Eid, H. T. 2013. “Bearing capacity and settlement of skirted shallow foundations on sand.” Int. J. Geomech. 13 (5): 645–652. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0000237.
Fu, D., C. Gaudin, Y. Tian, M. J. Cassidy, and B. Bienen. 2017. “Uniaxial capacities of skirted circular foundations in clay.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 143 (7): 04017022. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0001685.
Gourvenec, S., and S. Barnett. 2011. “Undrained failure envelope for skirted foundations under general loading.” Géotechnique 61 (3): 263–270. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.9.T.027.
Gourvenec, S. M., and D. S. K. Mana. 2011. “Undrained vertical bearing capacity factors for shallow foundations.” Géotech. Lett. 1 (4): 101–108. https://doi.org/10.1680/geolett.11.00026.
GWEC (Global Wind Energy Council). 2017. “Global wind 2016 report.” Accessed March 21, 2018. www.gwec.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Global-Offshore-2016-and-Beyond.pdf.
Haddad, A., R. Amini, and A. Barari. 2019. “Effect of embedment on the vertical capacity of bucket foundation in loose saturated sand: Physical modeling.” Mar. Georesour. Geotechnol. 37 (3): 366–374. https://doi.org/10.1080/1064119X.2018.1443354.
Hung, L. C., and S. R. Kim. 2014. “Evaluation of undrained bearing capacities of bucket foundations under combined loads.” Mar. Georesour. Geotechnol. 32 (1): 76–92. https://doi.org/10.1080/1064119X.2012.735346.
Ibsen, L. B., K. A. Larsen, and A. Barari. 2014. “Calibration of failure criteria for bucket foundations on drained sand under general loading.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 140 (7): 04014033. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0000995.
Larsen, K. A., L. B. Ibsen, and A. Barari. 2013. “Modified expression for the failure criterion of bucket foundations subjected to combined loading.” Can. Geotech. J. 50 (12): 1250–1259. https://doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2012-0308.
Liu, M., M. Yang, and H. Wang. 2014. “Bearing behavior of wide-shallow bucket foundation for offshore wind turbines in drained silty sand.” Ocean Eng. 82 (1): 169–179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2014.02.034.
Malhotra, S. 2011. “Selection, design and construction of offshore wind turbine foundations.” In Wind turbines, edited by I. H. Al-Bahadly, 231–264. London: InTech.
Mana, D. S. K., S. Gourvenec, and C. M. Martin. 2013. “Critical skirt spacing for shallow foundations under general loading.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 139 (9): 1554–1566. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0000882.
Mana, D. S. K., S. Gourvenec, and M. Randolph. 2010. “A numerical study of the vertical bearing capacity of skirted foundations.” In Proc., 2nd Int. Symp. Frontiers in Offshore Geotechnics, 433–438. London: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group.
Mana, D. S. K., S. M. Gourvenec, M. F. Randolph, and M. S. Hossain. 2012. “Failure mechanisms of skirted foundations in uplift and compression.” Int. J. Phys. Model. Geotech. 12 (2): 47–62. https://doi.org/10.1680/ijpmg.11.00007.
Mehravar, M., O. Harireche, and A. Faramarzi. 2016. “Evaluation of undrained failure envelopes of caisson foundations under combined loading.” Appl. Ocean Res. 59 (1): 129–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apor.2016.05.001.
Park, J. S., D. Park, and J. K. Yoo. 2016. “Vertical bearing capacity of bucket foundations in sand.” Ocean Eng. 121 (1): 453–461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2016.05.056.
Villalobos, F. 2007. “Bearing capacity of skirted foundations in sand.” In Proc., VI Congreso Chileno de Geotecnia. Accessed September 17, 2016. http://web2.ucsc.cl/∼avillalobos/articulos/Valparaiso2.pdf.
Wakil, A. Z. E. 2013. “Bearing capacity of skirt circular footing on sand.” Alexandria Eng. J. 52 (3): 359–364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aej.2013.01.007.
Yun, G., and M. Bransby. 2007. “The undrained vertical bearing capacity of skirted foundations.” Soils Found. 47 (3): 493–505. https://doi.org/10.3208/sandf.47.493.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Volume 147Issue 4July 2021

History

Received: Oct 14, 2019
Accepted: Dec 15, 2020
Published online: May 13, 2021
Published in print: Jul 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Oct 13, 2021

Permissions

Request permissions for this article.

Authors

Affiliations

Tanmoy Kumar Deb [email protected]
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, JK Lakshmipat Univ., Rajasthan 302026, India (corresponding author). Email: [email protected]
Baleshwar Singh, A.M.ASCE [email protected]
Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati 781039, Assam, India. Email: [email protected]

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Download citation

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

View Options

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Article
$35.00
Add to cart

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Article
$35.00
Add to cart

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Copy the content Link

Share with email

Email a colleague

Share