This research focuses on improving the prediction and design of jacket and anchor pile foundations used in offshore wind turbines, including under monotonic and cyclic axial loading caused by wind and waves. These loading conditions significantly affect soil-pile interaction, influencing the foundations' long-term performance and serviceability.
To support the rapid acceleration of offshore wind, cost-effective and tested anchor designs can help to bring down the overall cost of projects and speed up deployment. Accurate design and analysis are crucial and current models are often either too simplistic or computationally expensive, limiting their practical use and leaving critical gaps. This study addresses the need for efficient modelling tools based on routine laboratory testing. Many existing design and simulation design tools often fail to capture nonlinear effects, lack interdisciplinary integration, and are poorly validated. The research includes centrifuge tests to validate and refine the model under various soil and loading conditions, enhancing design tools and understanding of pile behaviour in jacket and anchor foundations. Ultimately, the project aims to enhance design accuracy and efficiency for offshore wind turbine foundations, making tools more applicable for routine engineering practice.
