ABSTRACT

An important part in the design of suction bucket foundations for offshore wind turbines is the prediction of the installation process. Several analytical methods are available for this matter. Yet the results may vary due to different assumptions regarding key aspects like the critical suction and so-called β-factors which are used to calculate the seepage-induced modification of the drained penetration resistances. This study aims at investigating the critical suction and the β -factors for the inner and outer skirt friction based on an analytical approach using the results of flow net calculations. The calculation of the critical suction is not only based on the hydraulic gradients but also takes a variation of the hydraulic failure body and friction into account. The results show that the critical suction considering friction and β -factors are in good agreement with the critical suction and β -factors based on the exit gradient when a homogeneous sandy soil is considered.