Research on the Effect of Burial Depth on The Bearing Characteristics of Three Helical Piles Jacket Foundation for Offshore Wind Turbines

Abstract

With global offshore wind power gradually moving to deep and distant waters, there is a clear trend towards larger-scale units, posing significant challenges for future offshore wind power foundations. In this paper, a helical pile jacket foundation type is proposed by combining the advantages of the current jacket foundation, which is suitable for deep and distant seas and offers high stiffness, with the excellent bearing performance of helical pile foundations. The influence of buried depth on the bearing characteristics of this foundation type is discussed through a physical model test. The results obtained from the study reveal the distinct bearing characteristics and damage modes exhibited by the foundation under deep and shallow burial conditions. These findings clearly indicate that the overall bearing characteristics and damage modes are superior in deep burial conditions compared to shallow burial conditions. Furthermore, it is observed that the damage and displacement of the foundation are more concentrated in localized areas when subjected to shallow burial.