Application of static loading tests to steel pipe piles with large diameters in Chinese offshore wind farms

Abstract

In this paper, three kinds of static loading test methods were introduced by referencing three offshore wind farms in China. In the first project, O-cell tests were performed on four steel pipe piles, namely, two vertical piles and two inclined piles, with diameters of 1.7 m and embedment depths from 67.24 to 69.70 m. Next, the equivalent load-settlements for top-down load and pull-out load tests at the pile heads were given by using a conversion method. Then, the conversion results were verified using different methods. Finally, the rationality of utilizing the coefficient factors of γ1 and γ2, which were 0.8 and 1.1 in the first project, were verified by studying three piles in two other offshore wind farm projects, where a top-down load test and pull-out load test were conducted on each pile. The results show that the O-cell test can successfully determine the axial compression capacity and uplift capacity by the proposed conversion method.