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Foundations for Offshore Wind Towers

Foundations for Offshore Wind Towers. Silvia Vital San Benito Veterans Memorial Academy San Benito, Texas Dr. Giovanna Biscontin Zachry Department of Civil Engineering. Dr. Giovanna Biscotin. Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering

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Foundations for Offshore Wind Towers

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  1. Foundations for Offshore Wind Towers Silvia Vital San Benito Veterans Memorial Academy San Benito, Texas Dr. Giovanna Biscontin Zachry Department of Civil Engineering

  2. Dr. Giovanna Biscotin • Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering • Bachelors Degree from the University of Padova, Italy • Masters Degree from the University of California, Berkeley • PhD from the University of California, Berkeley Research Interests: Dynamic response of soils,experimental methods for characterization of soil behavior, soft soils, offshore geotechnics, and deep soil mixing.

  3. Dr. Charles Aubeny • Associate Professor, Geotechnical Engineering • Bachelors Degree from the University of Arizona • Masters Degree from the University of Colorado at Denver • PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Interests: Foundations and anchors for offshore structures, offshore risers and pipelines, slopes and retaining walls, dams and levees, expansive soils, and numerical methods in geotechnical engineering.

  4. The Research Team • Ryan Beemer • Francisco J. Grajales • Silvia Vital • Marissa Blakley • Madhuri Murali

  5. Geotechnical Engineering A branch of civil engineering concerned with the engineering behavior of earth materials. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geotechnical_engineering

  6. Investigation of Geotechnical Engineering • Subsurface conditions and materials • Physical and mechanical properties of materials • Stability of natural slopes • Man-made soil deposits • Assess risks posed by site conditions. • Design earthworks and structure foundations.

  7. Importance of Geotechnical Engineering http://whatiscivilengineering.csce.ca/geotechnical.htm Leaning Tower of Pisa Italy Railway Track Failure to Earthquake Loading Natural Disaster such as Vaoint Dam in Italy

  8. Why Offshore Geotechnical Engineering? Population density in 2007 Esteban, 2011

  9. Why Offshore Geotechnical Engineering? Population density in 2030 Esteban, 2011

  10. Common Offshore oil-gas Systems Texas A&M University, Department of Civil Engineering

  11. Offshore Wind Energy is the Future • Today wind energy makes up 2% of the global energy supply and is expected to grow by 160% in the next five years. • Some European countries are adopting an ambitious of a 80% usage in renewable energy by 2050. http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/offshore-wind-farms-to-power-15th-of-europe-by-2030.html Sun, 2012

  12. Benefits http://www.offshorewinddc.dreamhosters.com/why-offshore-wind/

  13. Wind Turbines • One 1.8 megawatts wind turbine can produce up to 4.7 million units of electricity per year. • This amount could meet the annual needs of up to 1,000 households.

  14. Construction of Offshore Wind Turbine Video

  15. The Research Question? How does the monopile’s interaction with soft clay affect the stabilization of wind turbines

  16. Our Problem • The strong lateral forces present at sea cause wind turbines to vibrate, or rock back and forth. • These vibrations cause the soil at the bottom of the ocean to weaken, creating a vertical angle between the pile and ocean floor. • If this angle exceeds 5o, the wind turbine stops producing energy. Texas A&M University, Department of Civil Engineering

  17. The Research Goal Characterize the behavior of soil so that engineers can make smart, sustainable choices when constructing offshore wind farms. http://inhabitat.com/

  18. Soil Characterization T-bar collects data (Voltage) X (Calibration Factor)= Force Texas A&M University, Department of Civil Engineering

  19. T-Bar Data Collection

  20. Mini Shear Vane (Voltage) X (Calibration factor) = Torque

  21. Project Summary Based on the rising interest in offshore wind energy, soil systems must be studied and characterized in order to find the strongest foundations for offshore wind turbines.

  22. Classroom Connections • Students-Construct Wind Turbines • Soil Strength Simulation • 20-gallon aquarium filled with multi-colored sand • Vertical force applied to sand to see when soil fails Data Collection-Build custom pressure gauge • Algebra • Linear Functions

  23. Acknowledgements

  24. Special Thanks • Dr. Giovanna Biscontin • Dr. Charles Aubeny • E3 Staff • Ryan Beemer • Madi Murali • Francisco Grajales • Marissa Beckley

  25. Questions?

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