Abstract
Helical piles are alternative foundation for offshore wind turbine as a green foundation. When a helical pile is screwed into soft clay, the soils exhibit strain-rate dependency as well as strain softening effect when sheared and remolded. In this study, large deformation finite-element (LDFE) model is established to investigate the penetration behavior of helical pile, where the soil flow mechanism and penetration resistance are studied considering strain rate effect and strain softening effect in soil. The numerical model is validated by comparing with available centrifuge results. Parametric studies are then conducted covering a wide range of strain rate and strain softening parameters including the strain-rate parameter, the sensitivity and ductility of the soil, and the original shear strength. It is found that the penetration behavior of helical pile is significantly influenced by the strain rate and strain softening of soil. The difference of the torque profiles between the ideal Tresca soil and the rate-dependent, strain-softening soil is 0–30%. Based on the numerical modelling results, the theoretical model to predict torque requirements for the installation of helical piles is extended by accounting for the strain rate effect and strain softening effect.
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