The offshore development of wind resources

The offshore development of wind resources requires substantial additional costs. A key enabling technology for offshore wind is the turbine foundation. Unlike land-based foundations, offshore wind turbines face additional loading from wave action, sea-bed scouring, and (in northern climates) pack ice. The overall aim of the Ph. D project is to develop the fundamental understanding of the long-term behaviour of soil, when subjected to cyclic loading from an offshore wind turbine, through physical and numerical modelling, and to implement the results in a foundation tool integrated with state-of-the-art aero-elastic design codes. Various foundation types will be treated, including monopile, gravity and suction caisson foundations.