Abstract
The increasing relevance of offshore wind in the energy mix motivates continual research efforts for the optimisation of foundation systems. Currently, monopiles are still the most common foundations for offshore wind turbines (OWTs), due to their simplicity and the low costs for production/assembly. However, the modern trends towards larger OWTs and water depths pose new
geotechnical challenges in the design of more cumbersome and expensive monopiles. In this work, the potential of 3D finite element (FE) modelling for OWT applications is illustrated. The dynamic response of a soil-monopile-OWT system is numerically simulated by accounting for (i) dynamic hydro-mechanical (HM) coupling in the soil and (ii) cyclic plasticity modelling. In particular, the UCSD08 sand model developed by Yang and Elgamal (2008) has been adopted and calibrated against laboratory test results on medium dense sand. FE results are presented to highlight the combined influence of wind/wave loading and soil non-linearity on the dynamic OWT performance (and specifically on the main natural frequency). The results presented support the beneficial role that 3D
FE modelling may play in the improvement of existing design methods.
geotechnical challenges in the design of more cumbersome and expensive monopiles. In this work, the potential of 3D finite element (FE) modelling for OWT applications is illustrated. The dynamic response of a soil-monopile-OWT system is numerically simulated by accounting for (i) dynamic hydro-mechanical (HM) coupling in the soil and (ii) cyclic plasticity modelling. In particular, the UCSD08 sand model developed by Yang and Elgamal (2008) has been adopted and calibrated against laboratory test results on medium dense sand. FE results are presented to highlight the combined influence of wind/wave loading and soil non-linearity on the dynamic OWT performance (and specifically on the main natural frequency). The results presented support the beneficial role that 3D
FE modelling may play in the improvement of existing design methods.
| Original language | English |
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| Title of host publication | Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Seoul 2017 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 |
| Event | 19th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering - Seoul, Korea, Republic of Duration: 17 Sept 2017 → 22 Sept 2017 Conference number: 19 https://www.icsmge2017.org/ |
Conference
| Conference | 19th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | ICSMGE 2017 |
| Country/Territory | Korea, Republic of |
| City | Seoul |
| Period | 17/09/17 → 22/09/17 |
| Internet address |
Keywords
- offshore wind turbine
- monopile
- sand
- cyclic plasticity modelling
- hydro-mechanical coupling
- dynamic analysis