Centrifuge modelling of lateral loading behaviour of a “semi-rigid” Mono-pile in soft clay

Abstract Mono-pile foundations have been widely used for offshore wind turbines principally due to their convenient construction and cost-effective nature. So far, little attention has been paid to large diameter “semi-rigid” piles that have distinct behaviours from flexible or ideally rigid piles. This paper presents a series of centrifuge model tests to study the deforming and bearing characteristics of a 5.9 dia. semi-rigid pile under lateral loadings in kaolin clay. For monotonic loading, a modified p–y curve analysis model considering rotational soil flow near the rotation centre of pile was proposed, highlighting the limitation of classic plane-strain based plasticity models to evaluate the ultimate lateral pile-soil resistance. For cyclic loading, a strong correlation between the degree of soil degradation and cyclic load amplitude was identified. Besides, a degradation factor model, accounting for various cyclic stress levels and soil depths, was proposed, which can be used to assess the accumulative displacement of semi-rigid piles under cyclic loadings in soft clay.

[1]  Charles Aubeny,et al.  Centrifuge and numerical modeling of monopiles for offshore wind towers installed in clay , 2015 .

[2]  H. Matlock.  Correlation for Design of Laterally Loaded Piles in Soft Clay , 1970 .

[3]  Zhou Yanguo,et al.  Development of geotechnical centrifuge ZJU400 and performance assessment of its shaking table system , 2011 .

[4]  Werner Rücker,et al.  On the quasi-static granular convective flow and sand densification around pile foundations under cyclic lateral loading , 2012 .

[5]  Michael C. Georgiadis,et al.  CYCLIC LATERAL LOADING OF PILES IN SOFT CLAY , 1992 .

[6]  B. Zhu,et al.  Field Tests of Offshore Driven Piles Subjected to Lateral Monotonic and Cyclic Loads in Soft Clay , 2017 .

[7]  M. Randolph,et al.  Combining upper bound and strain path methods for evaluating penetration resistance , 2005 .

[8]  M. Randolph,et al.  The limiting pressure on a circular pile loaded laterally in cohesive soil , 1984 .

[9]  Spg Madabhushi,et al.  Lateral response of monopiles using centrifuge testing and finite element analysis , 2014 .

[10]  Michael W. O'Neill,et al.  EXPERIMENTAL P-Y MODEL FOR SUBMERGED, STIFF CLAY , 1989 .

[11]  Mehrdad Kimiaei,et al.  SIMPLIFIED BNWF MODEL FOR NONLINEAR SEISMIC RESPONSE ANALYSIS OF OFFSHORE PILES WITH LINEAR INPUT GROUND MOTION ANALYSIS , 2004 .

[12]  B. Zhu,et al.  A numerical study on the lateral loading behaviour of offshore tetrapod piled jacket foundations in clay , 2018, Applied Ocean Research.

[13]  B. Lehane,et al.  Effects of pile shape and pile end condition on the lateral response of displacement piles in soft clay , 2017, Géotechnique.

[14]  C. Leung,et al.  Centrifuge modelling of spudcan–pile interaction in soft clay , 2012 .

[15]  M. Hesham El Naggar,et al.  A Consistent Soil Fatigue Framework Based on the Number of Equivalent Cycles , 2008 .

[16]  S. S. Rajashree,et al.  Degradation model for one-way cyclic lateral load on piles in soft clay , 1996 .

[17]  D. M. Dewaikar,et al.  A New Hyperbolic p-y Curve Model for Laterally Loaded Piles in Soft Clay , 2006 .

[18]  Charles Wang Wai Ng,et al.  Cyclic lateral response and failure mechanisms of semi-rigid pile in soft clay: centrifuge tests and numerical modelling , 2017 .

[19]  Ping Fu,et al.  Centrifuge Model Test Study of Static and Cyclic Behavior of a Pile Foundation for an Offshore Wind Generator , 2013 .

[20]  Mohammed A. Gabr,et al.  P-Y ANALYSIS OF LATERALLY LOADED PILES IN CLAY USING DMT. DISCUSSION AND CLOSURE , 1994 .

[21]  Mark Randolph,et al.  External radial stress changes and axial capacity for suction caissons in soft clay , 2007 .

[22]  Lidija Zdravković,et al.  New design methods for large diameter piles under lateral loading for offshore wind applications , 2015 .

[23]  Philippe Jeanjean,et al.  Re-assessment of P-Y curves for soft clays from centrifuge testing and finite element modeling , 2009 .

[24]  Harry G. Poulos,et al.  Pile Response Due to Excavation-Induced Lateral Soil Movement , 1997 .

[25]  Byron W. Byrne,et al.  Response of stiff piles in sand to long-term cyclic lateral loading , 2010 .

[26]  Mehdi Heidari,et al.  Generalized cyclic p–y curve modeling for analysis of laterally loaded piles , 2014 .

[27]  B. Mcclelland,et al.  Soil Modulus for Laterally Loaded Piles , 1956 .

[28]  Yi Hong,et al.  Field Tests of the Lateral Monotonic and Cyclic Performance of Jet-Grouting-Reinforced Cast-in-Place Piles , 2015 .

[29]  Rasmus Tofte Klinkvort,et al.  Centrifuge modelling of drained lateral pile - soil response: Application for offshore wind turbine support structures , 2013 .

[30]  Mark Randolph,et al.  Centrifuge Modeling of the Cyclic Lateral Response of a Rigid Pile in Soft Clay , 2011 .

[31]  M. Randolph,et al.  T-Bar penetration testing in soft clay , 1994 .

[32]  Silvano Marchetti,et al.  P-y Analysis of Laterally Loaded Piles in Clay Using DMT , 1995 .

[33]  Edward Alan Ellis.  Soil-structure interaction for full-height piled bridge abutments constructed on soft clay , 1998 .

[34]  J. D. Murff,et al.  P-ULTIMATE FOR UNDRAINED ANALYSIS OF LATERALLY LOADED PILES. DISCUSSION AND CLOSURE , 1994 .

[35]  Harry G. Poulos,et al.  The Role of Analytical Geomechanics in Foundation Engineering , 1989 .

[36]  L. Reese,et al.  LATERAL LOADING OF DEEP FOUNDATIONS IN STIFF CLAY , 1975 .

[37]  Jacques Garnier,et al.  Development of Degradation Laws For Describing the Cyclic Lateral Response of Piles In Clay , 2012 .

[38]  Y. O. Barton,et al.  Laterally loaded model piles in sand : centrifuge tests and finite element analyses , 1982 .

[39]  Nii Allotey,et al.  Generalized dynamic Winkler model for nonlinear soil–structure interaction analysis , 2008 .

[40]  Harry G. Poulos,et al.  Single Pile Response to Cyclic Lateral Load , 1982 .

[41]  Mehdi Heidari,et al.  Nonlinear cyclic behavior of laterally loaded pile in cohesive soil , 2014 .

[42]  Martin Achmus,et al.  Estimation of lateral deformation of monopile foundations by use of cyclic triaxial tests , 2009 .

[43]  Chris M. Martin,et al.  Upper-bound analysis of lateral pile capacity in cohesive soil , 2006 .