Evaluation of p-y Approaches for Large Diameter Monopiles in Soft Clay

摘要

The recent application of the p-y method for foundations of offshore wind energy converters necessitates the verification of the p-y curves with regard to the diameter effect and the response to small loads. The paper therefore presents a comprehensive numerical study to evaluate the existing p-y approaches for piles in soft clay. The pile-soil interaction as well as the load-bearing behavior is compared to the well-known approach by Matlock for a wide range of pile dimensions. The study also includes the approximated Matlock curve as defined by the API guidelines and three approaches introduced in the literature to account for the effect of the pile diameter.