• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.29-39
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• 2015

The vertical load imposed on the bucket foundation is transferred from the soil inside the bucket to the bottom of the foundation, and also to the outer surface of the skirt. For the design of a bucket foundation installed in sand, the vertical load transfer characteristics have to be clearly identified. However, the response of bucket foundations in sand subjected to a vertical load has not been investigated. In this study, we performed two-dimensional axisymmetric finite element analyses and investigated the vertical load transfer mechanism of bucket foundation installed in sand. The end bearing capacity of bucket foundation is shown to be larger than that of the shallow foundation, whereas the frictional resistance is smaller than that for a pile. The end bearing capacity of the bucket foundation is larger than the shallow foundation because the shear stress acting on the skirt pushes down and enlarges the failure surface. The skin friction is smaller than the pile because the settlement induces horizontal movement of the soil below the tip of the foundation and reduces the normal stress acting at the bottom part of the skirt. The calculated bearing capacity of the bucket foundation is larger than the sum of end bearing capacity of shallow foundation and skin friction of pile. This is because the increment of the end bearing capacity is larger than the reduction in the skin friction.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.75-83
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• 2014

Suction bucket foundation is installed with the differential pressure created by pumping water out of bucket. Bucket foundation has usually been utilized in mooring anchor for offshore platform or floating oil and gas production facilities in the open sea. After suction bucket foundation successfully was applied as the foundation for offshore wind turbines in Europe, it recently attracts much attention in Korea, too. To estimate the penetration resistance of the suction bucket foundation is one of the important matters that should be considered during its installation. This study carried out a series of model tests to investigate the penetration resistance of suction bucket foundation. And the mobilized soil strength factor was reviewed through comparing the experimental results by two installation ways (e.g., push-in-load and suction) and the results calculated by the conventional equation.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.39 no.12
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• pp.61-73
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• 2023

Suction buckets are feasible options for offshore foundations to support subsea structures in deep water, enabling suction-induced installation by pumps. Recently, hybrid suction bucket foundations that combine single or multiple suction buckets with a mat foundation have been considered. The foundations effectively increase the load capacity while reducing construction costs. However, there is still insufficient experimental validation of hybrid suction bucket foundations regarding their bearing capacity. Furthermore, research on the horizontal load capacity under low vertical and moment loads is inadequate. In this study, we investigate the feasibility of using a hybrid suction bucket foundation for subsea installations in clay. We considered two types of hybrid suction bucket foundations: a circular mat with a single suction bucket and a square mat with multiple buckets. Centrifuge tests were performed to understand the hybrid suction bucket foundation characteristics under horizontal loads and their corresponding bearing capacity. Particularly, we verified the effect of the mat foundation and bucket embedment depth on the horizontal bearing mechanism and capacities. Results confirmed that the hybrid suction bucket foundation outperforms the single suction bucket.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.09a
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• pp.494-503
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• 2010

This paper reviews research trend in suction bucket foundation. Wind energy farm has been considered as an efficient alternative to fuel energy as world markets attempt to discover renewable resources. Recently, Korean government initiated the research projects investigating installation method of offshore wind energy foundation and design guideline as well as verifying feasibility of offshore wind farm. In fact, the installation of monopile and gravity type foundation has been sucessfully carried out in European and other advanced countries, and design guideline of those foundations are well established; however, various types of foundation would be necessary in the near future as offshore wind farm demands abundant wind resources in deep sea. In this paper, bucket foundation is spot lighted as a powerful and economic alternative applicable to deep sea condition.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.69-78
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• 2016

A suction bucket foundation has been considered to be a potential foundation type for offshore wind turbines. A suction bucket foundation is usually installed in soft soil, so the accumulated displacement of the foundation may occur under long-term cyclic loads. In this study, a series of 1-g model tests were performed to analyze the accumulated rotation of suction bucket foundations under long-term cyclic horizontal loads. The dry model ground was prepared to have two different soil densities by air-pluviation method. The model tests were performed varying the embedment depth of the suction bucket, the soil density, and the amplitude of cyclic load. A one-way horizontal cyclic load was applied over $10^4$ cycles. Test results showed that the accumulated rotation of the suction bucket foundation increased with the increase in the number of cycles and load magnitudes. Based on the model test results, a new equation was proposed to evaluate the accumulated rotation of the suction bucket foundations in dry sandy ground under long-term cyclic horizontal loads.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.31-36
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• 2021

Estimation of accumulated rotational angles and settlements are critical in design of wind turbine foundation. However, there have been few exploring the response of bucket foundation to long-term cyclic loading. We performed a series of three-dimensional finite element analyses of bucket foundations installed in sands. An empirical formulation which captures the stiffness degradation observed in cyclic triaxial tests implemented into the finite element analysis in the form of a user subroutine. Using the stiffness degradation model the accumulated rotation and displacement of bucket foundation were calculated. Additionally, important factors affecting the response under cyclic loading were assessed.

• KEPCO Journal on Electric Power and Energy
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.31-36
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• 2022

This paper presents the measuring process of dynamic properties of offshore wind power foundation and provides consideration of each step. This Guideline enables to maintain consistent measuring procedure and therefore increase the reliability of test results. Small scaled suction bucket foundation was fabricated to represent the commercial support structure installation mechanism and two cases(free-free, free-fixed) of dynamic tests were performed at workshop. From the tests, the importance of dynamic properties of connection part between suction bucket and tower was figured out. More over, types and configuration of measuring devices are recommended which can help find the natural frequency of wind turbine foundation correctly. In field test, it was found that the natural frequency of suction bucket foundation was increased linearly with the penetration depth due to the confining effect of ambient soil. Meanwhile, it was not easy to get an enough excitation force with normal impact hammer because the N.F of suction bucket model was in the lower range of 0 Hz ~ 5 Hz. Therefore, new excitation method which has enough force and can excite lower frequency range was devised. This study will help develop safety check procedure of suction bucket foundation in field at each installation stage using the N.F measurement.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.244-252
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• 2014

In this study, seismic responses of the offshore wind tower supported by bucket foundation are analyzed in consideration of soil-structure interaction. The program SASSI is used as analyzing tool and an artificial seismic input for soft soil is used as input motion. The H/R ratio of bucket, the stiffness of bucket foundation and the soil stiffness are considered as parameters and its effects are estimated. The responses of structure are obtained at the base and the nacell. As results, the effects of H/R ratio, the stiffness of bucket and the stiffness of site are generally denoted different response tendency at the base and the nacell. However, these whole responses of the base and the nacell are much lager than that of rock site. Therefore, the consideration of this phemomia affect to the response of offshore wind tower with bucket foundation largely.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.1908-1914
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• 2012

As the turbine capacity and the water depth of wind farms are increasing, the construction cost of substructures and foundations for offshore wind turbines is expected to increase. Since the installation of suction bucket foundation is achieved by both self-weight and applied suction, the construction generally does not require heavy equipment for penetration. This study provides an economic analysis on the tripod which have the bucket foundations and compares that the jacket foundation at 50m water depth on sand layer or soft layer. As the strength of the soil and the number of the foundation is increasing, the construction cost of the tripod with the bucket foundations is more economically feasible than the jacket foundation.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.74-85
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• 2024

Offshore wind turbines are supported by various foundations, each with its considerations in design and construction. Gravity, monopile, and suction bucket foundations encounter geotechnical issues, while jacket and tripod foundations face fatigue problems. Considering this, a gravity foundation based on a steel skirt was developed, and a monopile foundation was analyzed for Pile-Soil Interaction using the p-y curve and 3D finite element method (3D FEM). In addition, for suction bucket foundations, the effects of lateral and vertical loads were analyzed using 3D FEM and centrifuge tests. Fatigue analysis for jacket and tripod foundations was conducted using a hotspot stress approach. Some hybrid foundations and shape optimization techniques that change the shape to complement the problems of each foundation described above were assessed. Hybrid foundations could increase lateral resistance compared to existing foundations because of the combined appendages, and optimization techniques could reduce costs by maximizing the efficiency of the structure or by reducing costs and weight. This paper presents the characteristics and research directions of the foundation through various studies on the foundation. In addition, the optimal design method is presented by explaining the problems of the foundation and suggesting ways to supplement them.