Comparison of Calculation Models for Bucket Foundation in Sand

The possibility of fast and rather precise preliminary offshore foundation design is desirable. The ultimate limit state of bucket foundation is investigated using three different geotechnical calculation tools: [Ibsen 2001] an analytical method, LimitState:GEO and Plaxis 3D. The study has focused on resultant bearing capacity of variously embedded foundation in sand. The 2D models, [Ibsen 2001] and LimitState:GEO can be used for the preliminary design because they are fast and result in a rather similar bearing capacity calculation compared with the finite element models of Plaxis 3D. The 2D models and their results are compared to the finite element model in Plaxis 3D in this article.