Modeling Lifetime Performance of Monopile Foundations for Offshore Wind Applications

Abstract

This paper explores the application of a numerical method for modeling pseudorandom cyclic loading, at very large cycle numbers, to the design of offshore wind turbine foundations. The work expands the development of a novel constitutive modeling framework, the hyper-plastic accelerated ratcheting model (HARM), for which the key constitutive equations and the calibration method are presented. HARM captures both the nonlinear hysteretic behavior during cycling and the accumulation of permanent deformation (ratcheting) with large cycle numbers in a rigorous, yet computationally efficient manner, enabling the computation of foundation response over a lifetime of loading. This paper demonstrates how the approach can be applied to the cyclic pile field testing from the pile soil analysis (PISA) project. Following calibration, the model is used to assess pile response to three load signals representative of operational and extreme loads throughout the lifetime of a full-scale wind turbine foundation: (1) a short storm, (2) a 35-h storm, and (3) lifetime loading. The paper discusses how computational efficiency can be achieved while maintaining a high level of calculation accuracy.