Foundation structural health monitoring of an offshore wind turbine—a full-scale case study. (July 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Weijtjens, Wout; Verbelen, Tim; De Sitter, Gert; Devriendt, Christof
• Is Part Of: Structural health monitoring. Volume 15:Number 4(2016)
• Page Start: 389
• Page End: 402
• Publication Date: 2016-07
• Subjects: Foundation monitoring -- offshore wind turbine -- operational modal analysis -- data normalization -- operational and environmental variability; Structural health monitoring -- Periodicals; Structural stability -- Periodicals; Strength of materials -- Periodicals; Nondestructive testing -- Periodicals; Constructions -- Stabilité -- Périodiques; Résistance des matériaux -- Périodiques; Contrôle non destructif -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 624.17
• DOI: 10.1177/1475921715586624
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1475-9217

Abstract

In this contribution, first, the results in the development of a structural health monitoring approach for the foundations of an offshore wind turbine based on its resonance frequencies will be presented. Key problems are the operational and environmental variability of the resonance frequencies of the turbine that potentially conceal any structural change. This article uses a (non-)linear regression model to compensate for the environmental variations. An operational case-by-case monitoring strategy is suggested to cope with the dynamic variability between different operational cases of the turbine. Real-life data obtained from an offshore turbine on a monopile foundation are used to validate the presented strategy and to demonstrate the performance of the presented approach. First, the results indicate an overall stiffening of the investigated structure.