Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Experimental Investigation of the Response of Monopiles in Silty Seabed to Regular Wave Action

  • Published:
China Ocean Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Excessive displacement responses of monopiles affect the serviceability of offshore structures. Related to complicated pile—seabed—wave interactions, the actual behavior of monopiles in silty seabed under periodic wave action remains unclear, and relevant studies in the literature are limited. A series of experiments were conducted in a wave flume containing single piles in silty seabed with relative density of 0.77 subjected to regular waves. Two stages of wave loading were applied successively, accompanied by data recording which included pore water pressure, water surface elevation, pile head displacement, and pile strain. Development of pile-head displacement and pore pressure in silty seabed was the main focus, but the effects of pile diameter, pile type, and pile stiffness were also investigated. The experimental results indicate that, in silty seabed, piles of large diameter or with fins accelerate soil liquefaction, resulting in strengthened soil which allows a higher upper boundary of pore pressure. Using fins at deeper locations led to a quick failure of the piles, but the opposite result was observed with an increase in fin dimensions. Once pile-head displacement entered its rapid development period, the wave load calculated via the pile moment was an overestimation, especially for the piles of large diameter.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bayat, M., Andersen, L.V., Ibsen, L.B. and Clausen, J., 2017. Influence of pore water in the seabed on dynamic response of offshore wind turbines on monopiles, Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 100, 233–248.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bienen, B., Dührkop, J., Grabe, J., Randolph, M.F. and White, D.J., 2012. Response of piles with wings to monotonic and cyclic lateral loading in sand, Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 138(3), 364–375.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonakdar, L., Oumeraci, H. and Etemad-Shahidi, A., 2015. Wave load formulae for prediction of wave-induced forces on a slender pile within pile groups, Coastal Engineering, 102, 49–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buckley, R.M., Jardine, R.J., Kontoe, S., Parker, D. and Schroeder, F.C., 2018. Ageing and cyclic behaviour of axially loaded piles driven in chalk, Géotechnique, 68(2), 146–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carswell, W., Arwade, S.R., DeGroot, D.J. and Myers, A.T., 2016. Natural frequency degradation and permanent accumulated rotation for offshore wind turbine monopiles in clay, Renewable Energy, 97, 319–330.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chaloulos, Y.K., Bouckovalas, G.D. and Karamitros, D.K., 2014. Analysis of liquefaction effects on ultimate pile reaction to lateral spreading, Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 140(3), 04013035.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chiou, J.S., Xu, Z.W., Tsai, C.C. and Hwang, J.H., 2018. Lateral cyclic response of an aluminum model pile in sand, Marine Georesources & Geotechnology, 36(5), 554–563.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cui, L. and Bhattacharya, S., 2016. Soil-monopile interactions for offshore wind turbines, Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers-Engineering and Computational Mechanics, 169(4), 171–182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davisson, M.T., 1970. Lateral load capacity of piles, Highway Research Record, (333), 104–112.

  • Doreau-Malioche, J., Combe, G., Viggiani, G. and Toni, J.B., 2018. Shaft friction changes for cyclically loaded displacement piles: an X-ray investigation, Géotechnique Letters, 8(1), 66–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duan, N., Cheng, Y.P. and Xu, X.M., 2017. Distinct-element analysis of an offshore wind turbine monopile under cyclic lateral load, Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers-Geotechnical Engineering, 170(6), 517–533.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foda, M.A. and Tzang, S.Y., 1994. Resonant fluidization of silty soil by water waves, Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 99(C10), 20463–20475.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Futai, M.M., Dong, J., Haigh, S.K. and Madabhushi, S.P.G., 2018. Dynamic response of monopiles in sand using centrifuge modelling, Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 115, 90–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gao, F.P., Gu, X.Y. and Jeng, D.S., 2003. Physical modeling of untrenched submarine pipeline instability, Ocean Engineering, 30(10), 1283–1304.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gere, J.M., 2004. Mechanics of Materials, sixth ed., Thomson Learning, Belmont.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansen, N.M., 2012. Interaction between Seabed Soil and Offshore Wind Turbine Foundations, Ph.D. Thesis, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens, Lyngby.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heller, V., 2011. Scale effects in physical hydraulic engineering models, Journal of Hydraulic Research, 49(3), 293–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, T., Zheng, J.H., Zhang, J.S., Yuan, Y. and Wu, B., 2017. Experimental study on the cyclic behavior of monopiles in fine sandy beds under regular waves, China Ocean Engineering, 31(5), 607–617.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, T, Bai, S.Y., Hou, L.J. and Guo, Z.Y., 2018. The effect of wave action on the lateral pile-soil interaction for monopiles in sandy seabed, The 28th International Ocean and Polar Engineering Conference, Sapporo, Japan, 488–492.

  • Jalbi, S., Arany, L., Salem, A.R., Cui, L. and Bhattacharya, S., 2019. A method to predict the cyclic loading profiles (one-way or two-way) for monopile supported offshore wind turbines, Marine Structures, 63, 65–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LeBlanc, C., Houlsby, G.T. and Byrne, B.W., 2010. Response of stiff piles in sand to long-term cyclic lateral loading, Géotechnique, 60(2), 79–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, L.J., Zheng, J.H., Peng, Y.X., Zhang, J.S. and Wu, X.G., 2015. Numerical investigation of flow motion and performance of a horizontal axis tidal turbine subjected to a steady current, China Ocean Engineering, 29(2), 209–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liao, W.M., Zhang, J.J., Wu, J.B. and Yan, K.M., 2018. Response of flexible monopile in marine clay under cyclic lateral load, Ocean Engineering, 147, 89–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin, Z.B., Pokrajac, D., Guo, Y.K., Jeng, D.S., Tang, T., Rey, N., Zheng, J.H. and Zhang, J.S., 2017. Investigation of nonlinear wave-induced seabed response around mono-pile foundation, Coastal Engineering, 121, 197–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lombardi, D., Dash, S.R., Bhattacharya, S., Ibraim, E., Muir Wood, D. and Taylor, C.A., 2017. Construction of simplified design p-y curves for liquefied soils, Géotechnique, 67(3), 216–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nanda, S., Arthur, I., Sivakumar, V., Donohue, S., Bradshaw, A., Keltai, R., Gavin, K., MacKinnon, P., Rankin, B. and Glynn, D., 2017. Monopiles subjected to uni- and multi-lateral cyclic loading, Proceedings of the ICE-Geotechnical Engineering, 170(3), 246–258.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Negro, V., López-Gutiérrez, J.S., Esteban, M.D., Alberdi, P., Imaz, M. and Serraclara, J.M., 2017. Monopiles in offshore wind: Preliminary estimate of main dimensions, Ocean Engineering, 133, 253–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nicolai, G., Ibsen, L.B., O’Loughlin, C.D. and White, D.J., 2017. Quantifying the increase in lateral capacity of monopiles in sand due to cyclic loading, Géotechnique Letters, 7(3), 245–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nogami, T. and Novak, M., 1977. Resistance of soil to a horizontally vibrating pile, Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, 5(3), 249–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park, M.S., Koo, W. and Kawano, K., 2012. Numerical analysis of the dynamic response of an offshore platform with a pile-soil foundation system subjected to random waves and currents, Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering, 138(4), 275–285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peng, J.R., Rouainia, M. and Clarke, B.G., 2010. Finite element analysis of laterally loaded fin piles, Computers and Structures, 88(21–22), 1239–1247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rahmani, A. and Pak, A., 2012. Dynamic behavior of pile foundations under cyclic loading in liquefiable soils, Computers and Geotechnics, 40, 114–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rudolph, C., Bienen, B. and Grabe, J., 2014. Effect of variation of the loading direction on the displacement accumulation of large-diameter piles under cyclic lateral loading in sand, Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 51(10), 1196–1206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seed, H.B., Martin, P.P. and Lysmer, J., 1975. The Generation and Dissipation of Pore Water Pressures during Soil Liquefaction, UCB/EERC-75/26, Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California, Berkeley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheil, B.B. and McCabe, B.A., 2017. Biaxial loading of offshore monopiles: Numerical modeling, International Journal of Geomechanics, 17(2), 04016050.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sumer, B.M., Kirca, V.S.O. and Fredsøe, J., 2012. Experimental validation of a mathematical model for seabed liquefaction under waves, International Journal of Offshore and Polar Engineering, 22(2), 133–141.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun, K., Zhang, J.S., Gao, Y., Jeng, D.S., Guo, Y.K. and Liang, Z.D., 2019. Laboratory experimental study of ocean waves propagating over a partially buried pipeline in a trench layer, Ocean Engineering, 173, 617–627.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swane, I.C., 1983. The Cyclic Behaviour of Laterally Loaded Piles. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Timoshenko, S.P. and Goodier, J.N., 1970. Theory of Elasticity, third ed., McGraw-Hill, New York.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Truong, P., Lehane, B.M., Zania, V. and Klinkvort, R.T., 2019. Empirical approach based on centrifuge testing for cyclic deformations of laterally loaded piles in sand, Géotechnique, 69(2), 133–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tzang, S.Y. and Ou, S.H., 2006. Laboratory flume studies on monochromatic wave-fine sandy bed interactions: part I. Soil fluidization, Coastal Engineering, 53(11), 965–982.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verdure, L., Garnier, J. and Levacher, D., 2003. Lateral cyclic loading of single piles in sand, International Journal of Physical Modelling in Geotechnics, 3(3), 17–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Von Pablo, C., 2011. Pile Foundations for Offshore Wind Turbines: Numerical and Experimental Investigations on the Behaviour under Short-Term and Long-Term Cyclic Loading. Ph.D. Thesis, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, C., Li, Y., Cai, Y., Shi, J., Zheng, J.H., Cai, F. and Qi, H.S., 2021. Parameterization of nearshore wave breaker index, Coastal Engineering, 168, 103914.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, J.S., Li, Q.Z., Ding, C., Zheng, J.H. and Zhang, T.T., 2016. Experimental investigation of wave-driven pore-water pressure and wave attenuation in a sandy seabed, Advances in Mechanical Engineering, 8(6), 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, J.S., Zhang, Y., Zhang, C. and Jeng, D.S., 2013. Numerical modeling of seabed response to combined wave-current loading, Journal of Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering, 135(3), 031102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Coastal Disaster and Protection, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, China

    Ting Huang & Ji-sheng Zhang

  2. College of Harbor, Coastal and Offshore Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, China

    Ting Huang, Ji-sheng Zhang & Li-jun Hou

  3. China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd., Beijing, 100027, China

    Rong Wang & Ning Cheng

Authors
  1. Ting Huang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ji-sheng Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Li-jun Hou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Rong Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ning Cheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ting Huang.

Additional information

Foundation item

This paper was financially supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (B200202050), China Communications Construction Company (2018-ZJKJ-01), and National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.51408185)..

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Huang, T., Zhang, Js., Hou, Lj. et al. Experimental Investigation of the Response of Monopiles in Silty Seabed to Regular Wave Action. China Ocean Eng 36, 112–122 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13344-022-0010-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13344-022-0010-2

Key words

Search

Navigation