Dynamic analysis of tripod pile foundation in clays for offshore wind turbines

Tripod pile foundation is pursued as an efficient foundation system for offshore wind turbines (OWTs) installed in deeper waters (20–50m). In this application, the foundations would be subjected to dynamic loads including due to wind, waves, and earthquakes. This paper presents a numerical method for analyzing the dynamic responses of tripod pile foundation installed in clay based on a simplified bounding surface model to capture the clay stiffness degradation. Their behaviors under lateral monotonic, cyclic and seismic loads were investigated, and their bearing mechanism was analyzed. The results revealed that the loading direction significantly affects the ultimate bearing capacity of tripod pile foundation as the foundation capacity results from either a Pile A in tension and a Pile B in compression or vice versa. The evolution of axial force, bending moment and lateral displacement profiles of the Pile A and Pile B with the number of cycles exhibit different characteristics under lateral one-way and two-way cyclic loading. The foundation experiences cumulative rotation angles toward the Pile A side under seismic load due to the lower vertical bearing capacity of the Pile A compared to the Pile B. The tower top experiences the maximum lateral displacement and rotation angle, and the top of tripod support experiences the maximum bending moment. These findings should be considered in the design of OWT tripod pile foundations.