Experimental design for centrifuge tests on Seismic Damage Response of Triple-caisson-supported Jacket Foundation of OWTs in Layered site

The development of offshore wind turbines (OWTs) is gradually moving toward deeper seas, with jacket foundations being the preferred supporting structure for large OWTs in deep water areas. To investigate the seismic failure modes of multi-caisson jacket foundations in liquefiable layered ground, dynamic centrifuge tests were conducted using the ZJU400TK-C500 large geotechnical centrifuge shaking table system at the Tianjin Transport Engineering Research Institute. Based on non-equal stress similarity theory, a scaled model of the multi-caisson jacket foundation supporting a large OWT was designed. The paper presents a method for applying equivalent horizontal cyclic loading in the centrifugal model tests. Technical details including the preparation process of the layered soil, the installation method of three-caisson jacket foundation using continuous negative pressure penetration, and other aspects are described. The tests ultimately achieved satisfactory results and met the experimental objectives. This paper systematically introduces the centrifuge model test design for large wind turbine structures in complex ground conditions, which can provide technical experience and methodological reference for similar tests in the future.