Seismic centrifuge modelling of offshore wind turbine with tripod foundation

The development of offshore wind energy is fast as it is clean, safe, and of high efficiency. The harsh marine environment raises high demand on the foundation design of offshore wind turbine. Earthquake loading is one of the most significant factors which should be considered in the design phase. In this paper, a group of earthquake centrifuge tests were conducted on a physical model of a wind turbine with tripod foundation. The seismic responses of both wind turbine and foundation soil were analyzed in terms of the recorded accelerations, pore water pressures, lateral displacements and settlements. The results were also compared with those measured in the previous research on monopile foundation. It is demonstrated that the tripod foundation can provide better resistance in the lateral displacement and structural settlement under earthquake loading.