A simplified analytical framework for the bearing capacity of the grouped bucket foundation under six-degree-of-freedom load

In this study, a simplified framework based on analytical solution is proposed for predicting the bearing capacity of the grouped bucket foundation. The predicted results are compared with numerical and experimental findings, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed framework in accurately estimating the bearing capacity. The kinematic and failure mechanisms of individual suction buckets are also analyzed to better understand their behavior. The results indicate that there is no obvious overturning behavior for the individual suction bucket due to the fixed connection. The behavior of the grouped foundation is symmetric due to the distribution and superposition of the combined load. Moreover, the effects of the direction of the horizontal load significantly affects the shape of the normalized failure envelope. The grouped bucket foundation is wildly used in deep-water engineering. Thus, the presented alternative method might be found helpful, mainly for quick calculation and for its simple algorithmization.