Experimental tests on shallow foundations of onshore wind turbine towers

The current effort towards the progressive switch from carbon‐based to renewable energy production is leading to a relevant spreading of both on‐ and off‐shore wind turbine towers. Regarding reinforced concrete shallow foundations of onshore wind turbine steel towers, possible reductions of reinforc...

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Published in:Structural concrete : journal of the FIB 2022-10, Vol.23 (5), p.2986-3006
Main Authors: Lago, Bruno Dal, Flessati, Luca, Marveggio, Pietro, Martinelli, Paolo, Fraraccio, Giancarlo, Prisco, Claudio, Prisco, Marco
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Embedded foundations
experimental testing
Failure modes
fiber‐reinforced concrete
granular material
Mechanical properties
Optimization
Rebar
Reinforced concrete
Reinforcement
Reinforcing steels
Sandy soils
Scale models
Shallow foundations
Soil mechanics
Soil structure
soil–structure interaction
Steel fibers
Steel structures
Structural steels
Towers
Turbines
Ultimate loads
Vertical loads
wind turbine towers
Wind turbines
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Summary:The current effort towards the progressive switch from carbon‐based to renewable energy production is leading to a relevant spreading of both on‐ and off‐shore wind turbine towers. Regarding reinforced concrete shallow foundations of onshore wind turbine steel towers, possible reductions of reinforcement may increase their sustainability, speed of erection, and competitiveness. The article presents the results of an experimental program carried out at Politecnico di Milano concerning both cyclic and monotonic loading, simulating extreme wind conditions on 1:15 scaled models of wind turbine steel towers connected by stud bolt adapters to reinforced concrete shallow foundations embedded in a sandy soil. Three couples of foundation specimens were tested with different reinforcement layouts: (a) similar to current praxis, (b) without shear reinforcement, and (c) without shear reinforcement and with 50% of ordinary steel rebars replaced by steel fibers. Additional vertical loads were added to the small‐scale models in order to ensure similarity in terms of stresses. The test results allowed to (i) characterize the mechanical behavior of the foundation element considering soil‐structure interaction under both service and ultimate load conditions, (ii) assess the foundation failure mode, (iii) highlight the role of each typology of reinforcing bars forming the cage, and (iv) provide hints for the optimization of these latter.
ISSN:1464-4177
1751-7648
DOI:10.1002/suco.202100655