As a common foundation type, bucket foundations for offshore wind turbines are often used in the design of offshore wind turbine foundations in single or multiple configurations. However, the factors influencing the ultimate bearing capacity of off-shore wind turbine bucket foundations are complex. This study focuses on the single-bucket foundation of offshore wind turbines, using the finite element software Abaqus to conduct a three-dimensional finite element analysis of the bearing characteristics of suction bucket foundations in clay soil. By quantitatively varying the structural parameters (length-to-diameter ratio, embedment depth) and soil parameters of the cylindrical foundation, the impact on the ultimate bearing capacity was investigated. The results show that the vertical load-displacement relationship exhibits a gradual curve, while the horizontal load-displacement relationship shows a steep curve. The length-to-diameter ratio is positively correlated with the ultimate bearing capacity.
Guan et al. (Sun,) studied this question.