CAREER: Experimental Modeling of Tidal Current Turbine Foundations: An Integrated Research and Education Plan

该教师早期职业发展（CAREER）计划拨款将促进对潮流基础独特行为的理解，并改善小学和高中的科学和工程教育，同时促进岩土工程领域的多样性。该研究将为海底潮流涡轮机研究有效和可靠的基础系统。基础的设计必须能够抵抗来自振荡涡轮机叶片的高横向载荷以及垂直和水平循环载荷，从而使涡轮机能够在连接到海底时有效地吸收和利用潮汐能。降低基础系统的成本可以是使潮汐能成为可行且经济的电力来源的重要部分。研究任务将用于制作教育产品，如学习模块，演示，动画和视频，将在研究人员教授的课程和K-12推广计划中实施。一个可再生能源的教训将创建为四年级学生在布克T。华盛顿STEM学院和高中女生数学、工程和科学女孩冒险营（G.A.M.E.S）。本项目的研究目标是通过使用1g实验室尺度（在透明土壤和高岭土中）和离心试验在组合循环荷载下检查基础性能来评估潮汐涡轮机的吸力沉箱基础系统。本研究的重点是由于波浪，旋转的潮流涡轮机叶片和由于落潮和落潮的水平载荷的方向的变化的垂直，水平和力矩负载的周期性。虽然已经有许多关于使用吸力沉箱作为直径小于10 m（长度/直径= 3-5）的锚的研究，但很少有研究人员研究在中等纵横比L/D = 1-3的软粘土中使用吸力沉箱作为基础元件。此外，在以前的吸力沉箱基础设计中，未考虑水平荷载的独特垂直循环和半日或全日（12或24小时）潮汐循环。试验测试的重点是研究基础的性能，破坏模式，荷载-位移响应，屈服行为，以及在循环荷载下的累积位移。研究工作将产生：（一）高质量的实验室数据;（二）载荷-位移曲线;和（三）故障包络线/相互作用图，这将允许继续研究潮汐流涡轮机作为可再生能源的利用。

This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program grant will advance the understanding of the unique behavior of tidal current foundations and improve science and engineering education at the elementary and high school levels, while promoting increased diversity in the field of geotechnical engineering. The research will investigate efficient and reliable foundation systems for undersea tidal current turbines. The foundations must be designed to resist high lateral loads as well as vertical and horizontal cyclic loading from the oscillating turbine blades, allowing the turbines to effectively absorb and harness the tidal energy while attached to the seafloor. Decreasing the cost of the foundation system can be an important part of making tidal power a viable and economical source of electricity. The research tasks will be used to produce educational products such as learning modules, demonstrations, animations and videos that will be implemented in the courses taught by the researcher and in K-12 outreach programs. A renewable energy lesson will be created for the 4th grade students at Booker T. Washington STEM Academy and the Girls Adventures in Mathematics, Engineering, and Science (G.A.M.E.S) camp for high school girls.The research objective of this project is to evaluate suction caisson foundation systems for tidal current turbines by examining the foundation performance using both 1g bench-scale (in transparent soil and Kaolin) and centrifuge testing under combined cyclic loading. This research focuses on the cyclic nature of the vertical, horizontal and moment loading due to waves, the rotation of the tidal current turbine blades and the change in direction of the horizontal loading due to ebb and flow tides. Although there have been many studies on the use of suction caissons as anchors with diameters less than 10m (Length/Diameter = 3-5), few researchers have investigated using suction caissons as foundation elements in soft clays with intermediate aspect ratios of L/D = 1-3. In addition, the unique vertical cycling and semidiurnal or diurnal (12 or 24 hr) tidal cycling of the horizontal load has not been accounted for in previous designs of suction caisson foundations. The focus of the experimental testing is to investigate the foundation performance, failure modes, load-displacement response, yielding behavior, and cumulative displacements under cyclic loading. The research effort will result in: (i) high quality laboratory data; (ii) load-displacement curves, and (iii) failure envelopes/interactions diagrams, that will allow for the continued study of the utilization of tidal current turbines as a renewable energy source.