Seismic analysis of 10 MW offshore wind turbine with large-diameter monopile in consideration of seabed liquefaction

Abstract

With the increasing construction of large-scale wind turbines in seismically active coastal areas, the survivability of these high-rated-power offshore wind turbines (OWTs) in marine and geological conditions becomes extremely important. Although research on the dynamic behaviors of OWTs under earthquakes has been conducted with consideration of the soil-structure interaction, the attention paid to the impact of earthquake-induced seabed liquefaction on OWTs supported by large-diameter monopiles remains limited. In view of this research gap, this study carries out dynamic analyses of a 10 MW OWT under combined wind, wave, and earthquake loadings. This study uses a pressure-dependent multisurface elastoplastic constitutive model to simulate the soil liquefaction phenomenon. The results indicate that the motion of the large-diameter monopile leads to more extensive soil liquefaction surrounding the monopile, specifically in the zone near the pile toe. Moreover, compared with earthquake loading alone, liquefaction becomes more severe under the coupled wind and earthquake loadings. Accordingly, the dynamic responses of the OWT are apparently amplified, which demonstrates the importance of considering the coupling loadings. Compared with wind loading, the effect of wave loading on the dynamic response and liquefaction potential is relatively insignificant.