Bearing capacity and technical advantages of composite bucket foundation of offshore wind turbines

Abstract

Based on mechanical characteristics such as large vertical load, large horizontal load, large bending moment and complex geological conditions, a large scale composite bucket foundation (CBF) is put forward. Both the theoretical analysis and numerical simulation are employed to study the bearing capacity of CBF and the relationship between loads and ground deformation. Furthermore, monopile, high-rise pile cap, tripod and CBF designs are compared to analyze the bearing capacity and ground deformation, with a 3-MW wind generator as an example. The results indicate that CBF can effectively bear horizontal load and large bending moment resulting from upper structures and environmental load.

Keywords

offshore wind turbine / composite bucket foundation / mode of bearing capacity / numerical simulation

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