Abstract:
Large steel pipe pile is the most commonly used foundation structure for offshore wind power. However, the adopted design methods for large-diameter piles are
p-
y models, which are originally proposed based on many small-diameter pile tests for offshore oil and gas platforms. The prediction precision of the
p-
y models is relatively conservative, and its reliability is not clear. Thus, a modified
p-
y model for clay is proposed considering the influences of pile diameter and soil layer depth. Based on the data of in-situ pile tests of offshore wind power, the accuracies of
p-
y models for clay and sand recommended by the API code and modified
p-
y model for clay to predict the lateral soil resistance, pile deformation and bending moment of laterally loaded piles are analyzed and compared. The results show that the
p-
y model for clay recommended by the API code significantly overestimates the soil resistance of silt-sand and clay soil, and the predicted value using the
p-
y model for sand is about an order of magnitude higher than the measured one. The modified
p-
y model for clay can precisely predict the soil resistance of silt-sand and clay soil. Based on the modified
p-
y model for clay and
p-
y model sand proposed by Sorensen, the deformation and bending moment of piles in multi-layer seabed can be precisely predicted.