Strain response prediction of offshore wind turbine tower under free vibration

Strain monitoring of critical locations in offshore wind turbine tower is essential for fatigue life prediction and safe operation of wind turbine. This paper theoretically analyses the feasibility of predicting tower strain under free vibration using the modal superposition method. A finite element numerical model of the tower is established, and the displacement mode and strain mode parameters of the tower are extracted. The initial displacement and strain of the tower at cut-out wind speed are analyzed, and the first three modal coordinate of the tower are calculated using test points of displacement or strain separately. Subsequently, the full field strain of the tower is predicted using the modal superposition method. Comparative results demonstrate higher accuracy in modal coordinate values calculated using test points of displacement, and the accuracy and errors of strain prediction using different numbers of test points are compared, emphasizing the crucial role of selecting optimal positions and numbers of test points in improving prediction accuracy.