Numerical investigation of the strengthening method by circumferential prestressing to improve the fatigue life of embedded-ring concrete foundation for onshore wind turbine tower

Abstract

An embedded-ring foundation connected to the steel tower above it by inserting the steel ring into the concrete foundation is a traditional and widely used form for wind turbine towers. An insufficiently embedded depth of the steel ring leads to stress concentration on the corner of the concrete above the windward-side T-shaped plate. A damage zone of concrete develops, leading to gaps between the steel ring and the foundation concrete and a decline in the restrain stiffness of the foundation pier, which induces a larger horizontal displacement of the steel tower and a decrease in the natural frequency for the wind turbine system. To improve the fatigue life of the concrete around the steel ring under the precondition of not destroying the original foundation, a strengthening method using a circumferential prestressing technique is proposed in this paper. A series of numerical analyses were carried out to analyze the stress state change in the foundation concrete before and after strengthening. The fatigue life of the concrete above the T-shaped plate was evaluated according to CEB-FIP model code (fib Model Code for Concrete Structures 2010). The results show that the strengthening method can effectively decrease the fatigue stress amplitude and improve the fatigue life of the concrete above the T-shaped plate.