Numerical model for dynamic installation of large diameter monopiles

This paper presents the numerical code VibPile for simulation of the nonlinear dynamic response of large monopiles under harmonic loading and installation by vibration or impact driving. VibPile is based on a nonlinear FE model of the pile-soil interaction along the shaft and the tip by elasto-plastic springs representing the near field and elasto-dynamic elements (spring and dashpot) for the far field. While for the shaft friction and tip resistance the classical engineering solutions, such as those by standards or guidelines (e.g. API) and literature, are used in the numerical simulations, new computational models are developed for the dynamic response of the soil inside the pile and the far-field elasto-dynamic springs.