The Effect of Wind-Structure Interaction on the Behaviour of a Shallow Wind Turbine Foundation

Jordan Kiss, Tim Newson, Craig Miller, Rupp Carriveau

In the proceedings of: GeoRegina 2014: 67th Canadian Geotechnical Conference

Session: Instrumentation and Monitoring

ABSTRACT: OF WIND-STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON THE BEHAVIOUR OF A SHALLOW WIND TURBINE FOUNDATION Jordan Kiss, Tim Newson, Craig Miller Geotechnical Research Centre, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada. Rupp Carriveau Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada. ABSTRACT This paper describes field monitoring and analysis of an onshore shallow wind turbine foundation. The study has investigated the soil-structure interaction under cyclic and complex vertical-horizontal-moment loading, and correlates this with the observed wind and turbine responses. The results form an important part of the wind-chain, providing information for optimizing the performance of wind turbines and for structural health monitoring systems. The field measurement systems for the foundation, tower and wind fields are described, and the responses for high/low probability wind events are discussed. The implications for soil strength and stiffness degradation due to the associated loading and the general damage accumulation of small load cycles during operation of the wind turbine are examined. The possible consequences for the performance of the wind turbine during extreme loading conditions and over the long-term are also discussed. RÉSUMÉ Ce document décrit la surveillance sur le terrain et l'analyse d'une fondation d'éolienne onshore peu profonde. L'étude a examiné l'interaction sol-structure sous cyclique et complexe vertical-horizontal-charge de moment, et ce en corrélation avec les turbines éoliennes et les réponses observées. Les résultats constituent une partie importante de la liquidation chaîne, fournissant des informations pour optimiser les performances des turbines et des systèmes structuraux de surveillance de la santé. Les systèmes de mesure de champ pour les champs fondation, la tour et le vent sont décrites, et les réponses pour / faibles des événements à haute probabilité de vent sont discutées. Les conséquences pour la résistance du sol et de la dégradation de rigidité due à la charge associée et le préjudice général accumulation de petits cycles de charge pendant le fonctionnement de l'éolienne sont examinés. Les conséquences possibles de la performance de l'éolienne dans des conditions de chargement extrêmes et sur le long terme sont également discutés. 1 INTRODUCTION Wind is a major source of renewable energy and is projected to capture 11% of the energy generation capacity for Ontario by 2018. However, to achieve this expansion some major technical and policy issues must be addressed by the Canadian wind sector. Some of these issues are associated with the construction and design of foundations for wind turbines. Foundations for onshore wind turbines usually consist of large gravity bases and mono-piles. The geometry and foundation type depends on the wind climate, power regulation philosophy, physical characteristics of the machine, uplift criteria, required foundation stiffness and geotechnical characteristics of the site. The critical analyses for design include bearing capacity and overturning resistance, horizontal/rotational displacements, and dynamic soil-structure interaction. Extreme wind effects and local storms account for more than 60% of damages to wind farms and $200M annual losses for Canada. Turbines are subjected to millions of load cycles from the wind during their design lives. Some potential performance issues are also related to fatigue experienced in various components from this long-term loading regime. Unfortunately there is a paucity of appropriate field and laboratory scale datasets, suitable for calibration and validation of current state-of-the-art analytical and numerical design approaches. A multi-disciplinary research project is underway to integrate laboratory element testing, scaled physical laboratory testing, full scale field monitoring and numerical modeling of a wind turbine founded on a shallow foundation in carbonate-rich silty clay till in Southern Ontario. A significant component of the project is to provide understanding of the full ‚wind-chain' from the incoming wind field to the underlying soil and its effects on the performance of the wind turbine. An important link in the ‚wind-chain' is the foundation and it's response to the cyclic and complex vertical-horizontal-moment loading, placed upon it throughout its lifetime. In order to understand this component of the ‚wind-chain' a detailed site investigation has been conducted and a full scale long-term monitoring system has been installed on a large onshore turbine. The turbine tower and its foundation have been instrumented with various sensors. The implications for soil strength and stiffness degradation due to the associated loading and the general damage accumulation due to small load

RÉSUMÉ: FFECT OF WIND-STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON THE BEHAVIOUR OF A

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Jordan Kiss; Tim Newson; Craig Miller; Rupp Carriveau (2014) The Effect of Wind-Structure Interaction on the Behaviour of a Shallow Wind Turbine Foundation in GEO2014. Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Geotechnical Society.

@article{GeoRegina14Paper479,author = Jordan Kiss; Tim Newson; Craig Miller; Rupp Carriveau,title = The Effect of Wind-Structure Interaction on the Behaviour of a Shallow Wind Turbine Foundation,year = 2014}