Assessment of Brazilian onshore wind turbines foundations

Abstract

Abstract Onshore wind turbine foundations are subjected to large overturning moments. The wind action imposes cyclic and dynamic loading conditions which occur in extreme and service scenarios. Deep foundations, when used, transfer this large overturning moment through a pile group which combines the axial and lateral resistance of all piles. The paper explored the key aspects of onshore wind turbine foundations in Brazil. The main reason to explore this subject is that several authors consider onshore wind turbine foundations a well-understood topic; however, limited data from actual situations have been published, especially in developing countries where wind energy projects have only recently started. Thus, a survey of Brazilian energy companies and foundation designers was conducted, and the first Brazilian database of wind turbine foundations was created. This database contains data from more than three thousand Brazilian wind turbine foundations. The key aspects, types and dimensions of these foundations were summarized. Worldwide, concrete gravity foundations are the most used foundation type for onshore wind turbines. In Brazil, 43.3% of wind turbines have shallow foundations, essentially concrete gravity, and 56.7% have deep foundations, mostly continuous flight auger piles. This first stage of the research identified that Brazilian wind turbine foundations are significantly different from the ones of other countries. Approximately 70% of Brazilian wind turbine deep foundations used continuous concrete flight auger piles, most of them embedded in sandy soils. Concrete and steel are the main materials used in wind turbine structures.