Abstract
The dynamic forces subjected on a wind turbine combined with high fatigue loading may result in a foundation failure and potentially reduce the expected service life of the tower. Foundation failures may include excessive tower movements, tilt of a tower, or even loss of contact with the ground. The state-of-the-art practice for foundation monitoring involves use of sensors such as tiltmeters, inclinometers or strain gauges at wind farms to measure displacements or tilts, which can be expensive, complex, and time consuming. The research presented in this paper, explores the feasibility of a novel, low-cost mechanical displacement indicator to continuously monitor tower movement relative to the foundation base. In addition, finite element models were developed to investigate the long-term performance, and potential degradation of the wind-turbine foundation system. Modeling results when combined with field monitoring work would aid in improving the design practices or available standards to predict the service life of a wind-turbine foundation system.
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Acknowledgements
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number IIP-1362022 (Collaborative Research: I/UCRC for Wind Energy, Science, Technology, and Research) and from the WindSTAR I/UCRC Members including: Aquanis, Inc., EDP Renewables, Bachmann Electronic Corp., GE Energy, Huntsman, Hexion, Leeward Asset Management, LLC, Pattern Energy, and TPI Composites. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsors. The authors would like to thank and acknowledge all students who have assisted on this project.
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Gondle, R.K., Kurup, P.U., Niezrecki, C. (2021). Evaluation of Wind Turbine-Foundation Degradation. In: Barla, M., Di Donna, A., Sterpi, D. (eds) Challenges and Innovations in Geomechanics. IACMAG 2021. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, vol 126. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64518-2_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64518-2_3
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