Research on the Bearing Characteristics of Bucket Foundations for Offshore Wind Turbines in Double-Layered Clay

ABSTRACT: Bucket foundations have been widely used in marine engineering, such as offshore wind power, due to their anti-overturning performance and convenient installation. In China’s coastal areas, clay soil is widely distributed, and most of the seabed has layered clay. However, the bearing capacity of bucket foundations in layered soil is significantly different from that in homogeneous soil. Currently, there is relatively little research on the bearing capacity of bucket foundations in layered clay. Therefore, the finite element analysis method is adopted to establish a bearing capacity calculation method of bucket foundations in double-layer clay. The axial failure mechanisms and ultimate bearing capacity of bucket foundations in double-layer clay are deeply discussed, and the corresponding ultimate bearing capacity calculation method is given based on the numerical analysis results. The combined bearing capacity of bucket foundations in double-layer clay is fully analyzed, and the evolution method of V-H, V-M, H-M, and V-H-M failure envelopes is given.