A generic framework for reliability assessment of offshore wind turbine monopiles

Wang, L. and Kolios, A.; Soares, Carlos Guedes and Garbatov, Y., eds. (2017) A generic framework for reliability assessment of offshore wind turbine monopiles. In: Progress in the Analysis and Design of Marine Structures. CRC Press/Balkema, PRT, pp. 931-938. ISBN 9781138069077 (https://doi.org/10.1201/9781315157368-105)

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Abstract

In this work, a generic framework for reliability assessment of OWT (Offshore Wind Turbine) monopiles is developed. The framework starts with defining limit states, and four types of limit states are considered, i.e. ultimate, fatigue, deflection and buckling. A 3D (Three-Dimensional) parametric FEA (Finite Element Analysis) model of OWT monopiles is developed, taking account of soilsolid interaction and stochastic variables (i.e. soil properties, wind, wave and current loads). Multivariate regression is used to post-process the results of stochastic FEA simulations to derive limit-state performance functions expressed in terms of stochastic variables. Having obtained the performance functions, the FORM (First Order Reliability Method) is used to calculate the reliability index for each limit state. The proposed framework is applied to a 30 m-length OWT monopile to assess its reliability. The results indicate that the fatigue reliability is dominant in the design of OWT monopiles.