Four Point Bending and Crushing Simulations Under Controlled Tension Condition of a Dynamic Power Cable for Floating Offshore Wind Turbines

Abstract Dynamic cables used in floating wind turbines operate within a complex multiphysics environment. One of their key characteristics is bending stiffness, which plays a critical role in determining the cable’s bending response under dynamic loading conditions. Analyzing the bending behavior of these cables poses significant challenges due to geometric complexity, component interactions, material non-linearity, and the intricate stick-slip mechanism. Moreover, submarine cables are exposed to external forces during installation, operation, and maintenance. To ensure structural integrity, crush tests are conducted to verify the cable’s ability to withstand such forces. This study introduces a numerical approach utilizing a detailed 3D finite element model to assess the global mechanical behavior of a three-core dynamic submarine power cable under bending and crush loads, all applied with controlled axial tensile force. To accurately represent the cable’s geometric complexity and internal contact interactions, the model includes one pitch length of the longest component. The sheaths and power core are meshed with linear hexahedral solid elements (C3D8 in ABAQUS), while fillers are modeled using prism elements (C3D10 in ABAQUS). Additionally, beam elements (B31 in ABAQUS) are employed to reduce mesh size for the armor components. The numerical model is validated by comparing its results with an experiment. The close agreement between numerical results and the experimental data confirms the model’s capability to accurately predict and evaluate the cable’s response to localized pressure. This validation demonstrates the model’s effectiveness and reliability for use in the cable design process.