University of IowaIowa Research OnlineTheses and Dissertations2011Design of wind turbine tower and foundationsystems: optimization approachJohn Corbett NicholsonUniversity of IowaCopyright 2011 John C. NicholsonThis dissertation is available at Iowa Research Online: http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/1042Follow this and additional works at: http://ir.uiowa.edu/etdPart of the Civil and Environmental Engineering CommonsRecommended CitationNicholson, John Corbett. "Design of wind turbine tower and foundation systems: optimization approach." MS (Master of Science)thesis, University of Iowa, 2011.http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/1042.DESIGN OF WIND TURBINE TOWER AND FOUNDATION SYSTEMS:OPTIMIZATION APPROACHbyJohn Corbett NicholsonA thesis submitted in partial fulfillmentof the requirements for the Master ofScience degree in Civil and Environmental Engineeringin the Graduate College ofThe University of IowaMay 2011Thesis Supervisor: Professor Jasbir S. Arora Copyright byJOHN CORBETT NICHOLSON2011All Rights Reserved Graduate CollegeThe University of IowaIowa City, IowaCERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL_______________________MASTER'S THESIS_______________This is to certify that the Master's thesis ofJohn Corbett Nicholsonhas been approved by the Examining Committeefor the thesis requirement for the Master of Sciencedegree in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the May 2011 graduation.Thesis Committee: ___________________________________ Jasbir S. Arora, Thesis Supervisor ___________________________________
Colby Swan
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Asghar Bhatti
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To my teachers and mentors
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am extremely grateful to Professor Jasbir S. Arora, Professor Colby Swan,
Professor Asghar Bhatti, Dr. Marcelo Silva, Provost Barry Butler, and Dr. Tim Marler for
their direct support of this work. Professor Jasbir S. Arora not only provided me with the
theoretical knowledge of optimization, upon which this work is based, but supported me
in obtaining the technical wind turbine tower and foundation design knowledge I would
need to bring this work to fruition. Specifically, he invited an expert in the field, Dr.
Marcelo Silva, to speak at the University of Iowa and he provided financial support for
me to attend a two-day intensive training course on wind turbine tower and foundation
system design in Austin Texas. Additionally, Professor Arora’s gentle pushing continues
to challenge me to be a better student and researcher. As members of my thesis
committee and experts in the field of structural engineering, Professors Colby Swan and
Asghar Bhatti have been crucial in helping me to ensure that the methodologies and
assumptions used in this research are valid. Also, I am very thankful for the time they
have taken to review my thesis and provide suggestions to improve it. Their efforts add a
great deal to this research and challenge me to think about my research more critically.
Dr. Marcelo Silva is thanked for his time and effort in traveling to the University of Iowa,
introducing me to the topic of optimization of wind turbine support structures, and
suggesting the idea of considering the optimal design of an integral wind turbine tower
and foundation system. Provost Barry Butler is thanked for his interest in and feedback
on this research throughout the project. Particularly, I am thankful for his efforts to help
me partner with those in industry and his insights into the direction of the wind industry.
I am thankful and indebted to Dr. Tim Marler for his consistent support of my research
and his understanding in allowing me to take the time needed to complete this thesis.
This work was supported in part by the Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering and the Center for Computer Aided Design at The University of Iowa.
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ABSTRACT
A renewed commitment in the United States and abroad to electricity from
renewable resources, such as wind, along with the recent deployment of very large
turbines that rise to new heights, makes obtaining the most efficient and safe designs of
the structures that support them ever more important. Towards this goal, the present
research seeks to understand how optimization concepts and Microsoft Excel’s
optimization capabilities can be used in the design of wind turbine towers and
foundations. Additionally, this research expands on the work of previous researchers to
study how considering the tower and foundation as an integral system, where tower
support conditions are not perfectly rigid, affects the optimal design. Specifically,
optimization problems are formulated and solved with and without taking into account
the effect of deflections, resulting from the foundation’s rotational and horizontal
stiffness, on natural frequency calculations. The general methodology used to transcribe
the design of wind turbine towers and foundations into an optimization problem includes:
1) collecting information on design requirements and parameter values 2) deciding how
to analyze the structure 3) formulating the optimization problem 4) implementation using
Microsoft Excel. Key assumptions include: 1) use of an equivalent lumped mass method
for estimating natural frequency 2) International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
61400-1 extreme loading condition controls design (i.e. fatigue loading condition is not
considered) 3) extreme loads are obtained from manufacturer provided structural load
document that satisfies loading cases outlined in IEC 61400-1 4) wind forces on the
tower are calculated in accordance with IEC 61400-1 5) optimization variables are
continuous. The sum of the tower material and fabrication cost and the total foundation
cost is taken as the objective function. Important conclusions from this work include: 1)
optimization concepts and Microsoft Excel’s optimization capabilities can be used to
obtain reasonable conceptual level designs and cost estimates 2) detailed designs and cost
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estimates could be achieved using a solver capable of handling discrete optimization
problems 3) considering the tower and foundation as an integral system results in a more
expensive, but safer, design 4) for the assumed parameter values, the constraint on the
tower’s natural frequency was found to control the tower design and the bearing capacity
constraint was found to control the foundation design 5) relaxing or tightening the limit
on the natural frequency will result in the greatest benefit or penalty, respectively, on the
optimum solution.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... viii
LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................1
1.1 Introductory Remarks .................................................................................1
1.2 Review of Literature ...................................................................................2
1.3 Objective of Research .................................................................................5
1.4 Scope of Thesis ...........................................................................................6
CHAPTER II DESIGN REQUIREMENTS ........................................................................8
2.1 Tower Design Requirements ......................................................................8
2.1.1 Cross-Sectional Dimensions .............................................................8
2.1.2 Local Buckling .................................................................................8
2.1.2.1 Allowable Local Buckling Stress Method .............................8
2.1.2.2 Maximum Distortion Energy Theory .....................................9
2.1.3 Tower Top Deflection and Rotation .................................................9
2.2 Foundation Design Requirements .............................................................10
2.2.1 Bearing Capacity ............................................................................10
2.2.2 Stiffness ..........................................................................................12
2.2.3 Overturning Moment ......................................................................12
2.3 Limit on Natural Frequency ......................................................................12
CHAPTER III ANALYSIS................................................................................................14
3.1 Tower and Foundation Loads ...................................................................14
3.1.1 Loads from Structural Load Document ..........................................14
3.1.2 Wind, Self-Weight, and Internal Fixture Loads .............................15
3.2 Tower Analysis .........................................................................................17
3.2.1 Internal Forces ................................................................................17
3.2.2 Deflections ......................................................................................18
3.2.3 Stresses at Cross-Section ................................................................18
3.2.3.1 Stress Components ...............................................................19
3.2.3.2 Principal Stresses ..................................................................20
3.3 Foundation Analysis .................................................................................20
3.3.1 Total Vertical Load .........................................................................20
3.3.2 Maximum Pressure on Soil ............................................................20
3.3.3 Foundation Stiffness .......................................................................21
3.3.4 Foundation Overturning .........................................
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