Confirmation regarding modelling of monopile foundation using embedded beam

Question

In PLAXIS 3D, we do have an option to model the hollow pile as an embedded beam. Can PLAXIS team please confirm whether it's a right approach to model monopile for offshore wind turbine. 
 Because we can directly extract the bending moment and shear force responses from this embedded beam which can then be used for extracting the soil reaction curves.

Faseel Khan · Answer

You can find some examples in the literature in which PLAXIS 3D has been used to model monopiles and the p-y curves are calculated from the bending moment profile. Piles are loaded with lateral loads to obtain the soil response on pile and pile deflection at different stages which in turn is used for the development of p‐y curve. However, the accuracy of the analysis of the pile depends on the accuracy at which the p‐y curve represents the soil response to the lateral pile deflection because most of the commonly used p‐y curve criteria are based on a very limited number of tests. The p‐y curve recommended by API (American Petroleum Institute) code which is widely used by geotechnical engineers for the analysis of laterally loaded piles, was developed for the slender piles with diameters up to approximately 2m. So, you have to be sure and double check the underlying testing data with the PLAXIS output to match the p-y curves.