Analytical method for evaluating lateral bearing capacity of gravel-filled canister-monopile considering pile-canister deformation coordination

doi:10.3785/j.issn.1008-973X.2026.02.023

Journal of ZheJiang University (Engineering Science)

2026, Vol. 60

Issue (2): 445-454 DOI: 10.3785/j.issn.1008-973X.2026.02.023

Analytical method for evaluating lateral bearing capacity of gravel-filled canister-monopile considering pile-canister deformation coordination

Ruilin XU1,2(

),Enze YI1,2,Juntao WU1,2,*(

),Kuihua WANG1,2,Zhiqing ZHANG3,Lüjun TANG4

1. College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
2. Center for Balance Architecture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310063, China
3. College of Architecture and Energy Engineering, Wenzhou University of Technology, Wenzhou 325035, China
4. College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Hangzhou 310018, China

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Abstract

To address the high cost of foundations for offshore wind turbines in deep and far-sea environments, a novel gravel-filled canister-monopile (GCM) was proposed, which consists of three components: a large-diameter monopile, a steel canister, and gravel filled between the pile and the canister. During service, the gravel was able to fill gaps generated in the pile–soil interface due to long-term cyclic loading, effectively mitigating the weakening of the surrounding soil and thereby enhancing the lateral bearing capacity of the monopile. To analyze the lateral bearing behavior of the gravel-filled canister-monopile, a strain wedge coupled model considering pile–canister deformation coordination was developed, taking into account the increase in lateral support stiffness provided by the filled gravel and the horizontal displacement development of the canister under load. By reducing the canister diameter to that of the pile, setting the canister height to zero, and treating the filled gravel as surrounding soil, the proposed model degenerated into a conventional monopile lateral bearing model, which was validated through comparison with existing analytical theories. Further comparisons with finite element analysis results confirmed the reasonableness and reliability of the proposed model. Based on the validated model, a parametric analysis of the main design parameters of the gravel-filled canister-monopile was conducted. The results indicated that the steel canister diameter, height, and the elastic modulus of the gravel were all positively correlated with the lateral bearing capacity, while the canister embedment depth exhibited an optimal design value.

Key words： composite pile offshore wind turbine modified strain wedge method lateral bearing capacity parameter analysis sand

Received: 07 February 2025 Published: 03 February 2026

CLC:

TU 437

Fund: 中国工程院战略研究与咨询项目（2025-XZ-75）；国家自然科学基金资助项目（52178358, 52108349, 52178367）；浙江省自然科学基金重点资助项目（LTGG24E080001）.

Corresponding Authors: Juntao WU E-mail: ruilinxu@zju.edu.cn;wujuntao31@126.com

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Cite this article:

Ruilin XU,Enze YI,Juntao WU,Kuihua WANG,Zhiqing ZHANG,Lüjun TANG. Analytical method for evaluating lateral bearing capacity of gravel-filled canister-monopile considering pile-canister deformation coordination. Journal of ZheJiang University (Engineering Science), 2026, 60(2): 445-454.

URL:

https://www.zjujournals.com/eng/10.3785/j.issn.1008-973X.2026.02.023 OR https://www.zjujournals.com/eng/Y2026/V60/I2/445

考虑桩-筒变形协调的钢护筒-碎石复合桩水平承载力计算理论

为了解决深远海海上风机基础成本较高的问题，提出由大直径单桩、钢护筒与桩筒间填充碎石3个部分组成的新型钢护筒-碎石复合桩. 在服役期间，碎石能够填充桩-土因长期循环作用产生的间隙，有效抑制桩周土体弱化，提升单桩的水平承载力. 针对水平受荷状态下的钢护筒-碎石复合桩进行承载力分析，考虑桩筒间填充碎石对桩身侧向支承刚度的提升作用以及护筒受荷后的水平位移发展，提出考虑桩-筒变形协调的应变楔耦合计算模型. 通过将筒径缩小至桩径，筒高缩减至零，填充碎石设置为桩周土体，使所提计算模型退化至单桩水平承载力计算模型，并与已有解析理论进行对比验证. 将所提模型计算结果与有限元计算结果对比，进一步验证模型的合理性及可靠性. 基于验证后的计算模型对钢护筒-碎石复合桩的主要设计参数进行分析，结果表明，钢护筒直径、高度与筒内碎石弹性模量均与钢护筒-碎石复合桩水平承载力呈正相关关系，护筒埋深存在最优设计值.

关键词： 复合桩, 海上风电, 修正应变楔方法, 水平承载力, 参数分析, 砂土

Fig.1 Schematic diagram of gravel-filled canister-monopile

Fig.2 Schematic diagram of strain wedge model

Fig.3 Schematic diagram of layered calculation of strain wedge model^[12]

Fig.4 Schematic diagram of vertical section of cylinder motion and modified strain wedge

Fig.5 Schematic diagram of calculation model for lateral bearing capacity of gravel-filled canister-monopile

Fig.6 Flowchart of theoretical calculation for lateral bearing capacity of gravel-filled canister-monopile

Fig.7 Comparison of results between two strain-wedge calculation models

Fig.8 Model schematic of gravel-filled canister-monopile

Tab.1 Component parameters of finite element model

Fig.9 Distribution of pile displacement at various depths under different working conditions

Tab.2 Parameters for pile performance tests

Fig.10 Comparison of displacement-load curves for gravel-filled canister-monopile and single pile

Tab.3 Selected values of main design parameters for gravel-filled conister-monopile

Fig.11 Comparison of performance parameters for gravel-filled canister-monopile under different canister diameters

Fig.12 Comparison of performance parameters for gravel-filled canister-monopile under different canister heights

Fig.13 Comparison of performance parameters for gravel-filled canister-monopile under different embedded depths of canister

Fig.14 Comparison of performance parameters for gravel-filled canister-monopile under different elastic moduli of gravel


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