Calibration of Analytical Suction Bucket Installation Models Using Grain-Scale LBM-DEM Simulations
If you’re at the 45th International Conference on Ocean, Offshore & Arctic Engineering (OMAE2026) in Tokyo this June, don’t miss the presentation from our own Samual Kemmler on “Calibration of Analytical Suction Bucket Installation Models Using Grain-Scale LBM-DEM Simulations.”
Suction bucket foundations offer significant advantages for offshore wind applications, enabling fast and cost-efficient installation. However, installation failures due to piping erosion remain a critical challenge, particularly in loose or highly permeable seabeds. Understanding the interplay between seepage flow, soil properties, and foundation geometry during suction installation is essential for improving design guidelines and installation strategies.
In this contribution, fully-resolved numerical simulations are provided, that allow a detailed, grain-scale view of the suction installation process. A coupled Lattice Boltzmann-Discrete Element Method (LBM-DEM) framework is employed, in which fluid flow is resolved at a scale significantly finer than the particle size. This allows to capture pore-scale flow effects, particle rearrangements, and evolving soil resistance during installation, offering a higher level of detail compared to unresolved or continuum methods.
The modeling approach is used to explore how soil characteristics and installation parameters influence the development of piping erosion and the resulting installation performance. By systematically varying key parameters, conditions are identified that promote either stable penetration or the onset of piping erosion, highlighting the critical role of seepage near the skirt tip. Beyond identifying failure envelopes, the simulations provide micromechanical insight into how local forces, flow paths, and soil resistance evolve as erosion initiates and progresses. These insights enable the critical examination of common assumptions regarding resistance distribution inside and outside the bucket during suction-driven installation.
Additionally, the fully resolved simulation data can serve as a reference for calibrating and improving continuum-based models, bridging the gap between particle-scale mechanisms and engineering-scale predictive tools. The results illustrate how fully resolved LBM-DEM modeling can complement experimental and field studies, providing a powerful tool for developing more robust suction bucket installation strategies in challenging seabed conditions.