Fatigue and fracture mechanics of offshore wind turbine support structures

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dc.contributor.advisorBrennan, Feargal
dc.contributor.advisorKolios, Athanasios
dc.contributor.authorLozano Minguez, Estivaliz
dc.date.accessioned2016-03-08T15:16:31Z
dc.date.available2016-03-08T15:16:31Z
dc.date.issued2015-07
dc.description.abstractWind power, especially offshore, is considered to be one of the most promising sources of ‘clean’ energy towards meeting the EU targets for 2020 and 2050. However, its popularity has always fluctuated with the price of fossil fuels since nowadays wind electricity production cannot compete with nuclear or coal electricity production. Support structures are thought to be one of the main drivers for reducing costs in order to make the wind industry more economically efficient. Foundations and towers should be fit for purpose, extending their effective service life but avoiding costs of oversizing. An exhaustive review of the background and state of the art of the Fatigue-Life assessment approaches has been carried out, combining analysis of the gathered experimental data and the development of Finite Element models based on contemporary 3D solid models with diverse Regression Analyses, in order to identify their weakness and evaluate their accuracy. This research shows that the guides and practices currently employed in the design and during the operation of the offshore wind turbine support structures are obsolete and not useful for optimisation, which generally leads to conservationism and an unnecessary increase in costs. The basis for a comprehensive update of the Girth Weld and Tubular Joint S-N curves and the Stress Concentration Factors of Tubular Joints has been set out. Furthermore, a reliable methodology for deriving the Stress Intensity Factor at the deepest point of a semi-elliptical surface saddle crack in a tubular welded T-joint has been proposed.en_UK
dc.identifier.urihttp://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/9756
dc.language.isoenen_UK
dc.publisherCranfield Universityen_UK
dc.rights© Cranfield University, 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the copyright holder.en_UK
dc.subjectTubular jointen_UK
dc.subjectOffshore wind supporten_UK
dc.subjectStress concentration factoren_UK
dc.subjectStress intensity factoren_UK
dc.subjectS-N curveen_UK
dc.subjectSemi-elliptical cracken_UK
dc.subjectTubular joint weld profileen_UK
dc.titleFatigue and fracture mechanics of offshore wind turbine support structuresen_UK
dc.typeThesis or dissertationen_UK
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoralen_UK
dc.type.qualificationnamePhDen_UK

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PhD, EngD and MSc by research theses (SWEE)