Hydroelastic response and fatigue life prediction of floating offshore wind turbine platforms under complex sea states

The dynamic performance and structural longevity of Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWTs) are critically governed by their hydroelastic behavior and fatigue resistance under complex environmental loading. This review synthesizes recent developments in hydroelastic modeling and fatigue life prediction, with particular focus on integrated aero-hydro-servo-elastic simulations. State-of-the-art modeling tools such as OpenFAST, HAWC2, and OrcaFlex are examined in the context of platform-specific responses and modeling fidelity. The review highlights key challenges in capturing nonlinear wave-structure interactions, simulating extreme sea states, and quantifying uncertainty in long-term operational conditions. Notably, recent contributions (2023–2024) introduce machine learning-based surrogate models, vine copula frameworks for multivariate load correlation, and digital twin-enabled real-time fatigue diagnostics, marking a paradigm shift in offshore structural reliability analysis. A comparative framework is presented linking platform types, modeling approaches, and fatigue assessment strategies to guide practitioners and researchers. By identifying critical limitations and emerging opportunities, this review aims to support the development of more accurate, efficient, and robust design methodologies for next-generation FOWTs. • Review of hydroelastic response behavior in floating offshore wind turbine platforms. • Assessment of fatigue life prediction methods under complex sea state conditions. • Identification of modeling challenges due to coupled aero-hydro-servo-elastic interactions. • Proposal of future directions to enhance fatigue models and hydroelastic simulations. • Emphasis on real-time data usage for model validation and operational improvements.