Improved ground stiffness measurements for offshore wind turbine

英国在海上风能领域处于世界领先地位，并制定了一个雄心勃勃的新目标，即到2030年实现40吉瓦的风力发电，从而产生足够为每个家庭供电的海上风力发电能力。海上风力涡轮机（OWT）基础构成了项目资本成本的重要部分，其设计的优化是至关重要的。最近的研究通过理论发展和高质量的现场测试取得了重大进展。在测量和解释支撑设计方法的关键土壤和岩石变形参数方面仍然存在很大的不确定性。改善海上站点特征将有助于节省基础几何形状，降低OWF资本成本，并满足英国的可再生能源目标。工程学院的一项新研究计划旨在量化和减少与土/岩石原位刚度测量相关的不确定性，并最大限度地减少对OWT基础设计方法预测能力的影响。这将通过现场和实验室的严格测量和解释来实现。该博士项目将使用先进的实验室测试，结合大型工业海上现场调查数据集的分析，研究实验室方法之间的方法内部和方法之间的差异，以确定小应变刚度和刚度退化，并改善与原位测量的相关性。成功的学生将参与调试和使用由Vattenfall Wind Power资助的岩土工程实验室内的新型谐振柱装置。博士生也可能有机会在英国进行实地考察。研究成果将应用于设计，有机会重新分析设计的单桩基础，并确定结果对设计寿命的影响。

The UK is the world leader in offshore wind energy and has set a new ambitious target of 40GW of wind power by 2030, producing enough offshore wind capacity to power every home. Offshore wind turbine (OWT) foundations make up a significant portion of the capital cost of a project and optimisation of their design is paramount. Recent research has led to significant advances through theoretical developments combined with high-quality field-testing. There remains significant uncertainty in the measurement and interpretation of key soil and rock deformation parameters that underpin design approaches. Improving offshore site characterisation will contribute to economising foundation geometries, lowering OWF capital costs and meeting the UK's renewable energy targets.A new programme of research in the School of Engineering aims to quantify and reduce the uncertainty associated with soil/rock in situ stiffness measurements and minimise the impact on the predictive capability of OWT foundation design methods. This will be achieved through rigorous measurement and interpretation in the field and the laboratory. This PhD project will use advanced laboratory testing combined with analysis of large industry offshore site investigation datasets to investigate intra- and inter- method variability between laboratory methods to determine both small strain stiffness and stiffness degradation and improve correlation with in situ measurements. The successful student will be involved in the commissioning and use of a new resonant column device within the geotechnical laboratory, funded by Vattenfall Wind Power. There may also be an opportunity for the PhD student to undertake fieldwork within the UK. The research outcomes will be applied to design with an opportunity to reanalyse designed monopile foundations and determine the effect of the results on design life.