ABSTRACT
A general study has been realised on the axial capacity of the foundation of the offshore wind turbines with the use of the centrifuge modelling. Piles with different diameters have been jacked at 100×g in dense Fontainebleau sand. The effect of the saturation, pile diameter and the type of the pile tip (open or close-ended) on the axial compression of the piles is studied. The plug creation during installation is clearly impacted by the saturation of the dense sand. Plug formation show also to be improved with the decrease of the diameter of open-ended piles. A linear relationship is obtained between the jacking load and the embedded volume of the tested piles with different diameters.
