Reliability Analysis of Onshore Wind Turbine Raft Pile Foundation Using FEM and FOSM
摘要
The foundation system of onshore wind turbines plays a critical role in their stability and performance. Ensuring the reliability of these foundations is essential for the long-term sustainability of wind energy projects. This study focuses on the reliability analysis of a raft pile foundation for an onshore wind turbine in Chennai, India, utilizing finite element modeling (FEM) and the First Order Second Moment Method (FOSM). The FEM of the wind turbine and its foundation was developed using Ansys software, incorporating the structural components, such as the tower, nacelle, rotor, blades, and raft pile foundation. The model was subjected to various loads, including wind loads, dead loads, and dynamic loads, to simulate real-world operating conditions. The wind load was characterized using Chennai’s wind data, while the soil properties were obtained from geotechnical investigations (CPT data) conducted at the site. The raft pile foundation was modeled as a combination of raft and piles, considering their interaction with the soil. The FOSM method was employed to conduct reliability analysis, considering the uncertainty in the input parameters, such as wind load, soil properties, and geometric dimensions. The FOSM method involves linearizing the performance function around the mean values of the input variables and approximating the probability distribution of the performance function using a normal distribution. The results of the reliability analysis indicated that the raft pile foundation is generally reliable under the considered loading conditions. However, certain critical components, such as the pile-soil interface and the raft pile connection, were identified as potential failure points. The reliability index values for these components were found to be relatively low, suggesting a higher risk of failure. To enhance the reliability of the raft pile foundation, several mitigation measures can be implemented. These include optimizing the pile spacing and length, improving the soil properties through ground improvement techniques, and implementing advanced foundation design methods.