Use of a Bearing Plate to Enhance the Lateral Capacity of Monopiles in Sand

Offshore foundation systems are constantly evolving to meet the needs of developments in the energy sector. These developments may be induced by the requirements of moving into ever deeper water for hydrocarbon recovery or creating foundation systems for renewable energy sources such as offshore wind farms. One such approach is that foundation systems are developed that combine several foundation elements to create a hybrid system. In this way it may be possible to develop a foundation system that is more efficient for the combination of vertical and lateral loads associated with the offshore environment, and in particular wind-powered generators. This paper presents the results from a physical and numerical modeling program undertaken to investigate the performance of hybrid, monopiled footing foundations under combined monotonic loading conditions in sand. (c) 2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.