Evaluation of behavior of bucket foundations under pure loading

Ghaseminejad, Vali; Rowshanzamir, M.A.

doi:10.24200/sci.2017.4166

Evaluation of behavior of bucket foundations under pure loading

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Vali Ghaseminejad ¹

M.A. Rowshanzamir ²

¹ Department of Civil Engineering, Isfahan University of science and research , Isfahan, Iran

² Department of Civil Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology (IUT), Isfahan, Iran

10.24200/sci.2017.4166

Abstract

Offshore wind turbine as a green renewable resource can have important roles in changing energy structure. In this study the results of three-dimensional finite element analyses of the pure horizontal, vertical and moment loading of bucket foundations in medium-dense sand are presented. Sensitivity analyses have been performed at different bucket diameters and length-to-diameter aspect ratios (L/D) and the responses for pure horizontal, vertical and moment loading have been compared. To determine the pure horizontal, vertical and moment bearing capacities of the bucket foundation, different methods have been compared. Charts and functions derived from finite element results and responses are presented as failure envelopes in M-H plane. The results show that pure ultimate capacity of the bucket significantly depends on bucket geometry and aspect ratio.

Keywords

Offshore wind turbines

Bucket foundations

Finite element analyses

Pure bearing capacity

Medium dense sand

Subjects