SMALL WIND CONFERENCE

JUNE 2011

Dilip Khatri, PhD, MBA, SE

Principal
KHATRI INTERNATIONAL, Inc.
3579 E. Foothill Blvd., #736
Pasadena, CA 91107
www.khatrinternational.com
dkhatri@aol.com
626-475-7660
Khatri International Inc.,
www.khatrinternational.com

Wind Tower Foundations

Spread Footings
Structural Cap with Piles: Drilled Piers

Pile Cap with Anchors

Pile Cap with Steel Piles

What are the key design factors?

1. Design Compliance + Constructability
2. Cost
3. Construction: Access, Materials, Value Engineering
4. Safety
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Wind Tower Forces:

1. Static Pressure
2. Dynamic Forces
3. Resonance/frequency
loading
4. OTM + V + P

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Spread Footings
Traditional foundation design solution
Relies on the bearing pressure of the soil

Cost = Excavation + Concrete + Rebar + Labor

As towers exceed 100 ft, the Spread Footing becomes
excessively impractical for difficult site locations

Cost prohibitive as the foundation cost exceeds 20% of

the tower installation

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www.khatrinternational.com

Pile Cap with Drilled Piers

Cap Design with structural piles
Piles with reinforced concrete (drilled piers)

Cost = excavation + concrete + steel + labor

Cheaper on excavation, concrete, steel
Cost of drilling the pier and steel placement could be
high

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www.khatrinternational.com

Piles with HSS

HSS (Structural Tube
Sections) in lieu of rebar

Economical Install cost

No rebar in the pile
Drill, place steel, pour
concrete

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www.khatrinternational.com

 Anchor Piles
grouted in the
drilling process

Micropiles

Hallow bar with

grout injected into
the pile hole
Micropiles are 12
or smaller
Axial Compression
and Tension Load

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Micropile Analysis
Computer Finite
Element Model

Post Tension of
Micropile
Axial Compression with
Post Tension of the Cap

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Analysis of Structural Failures

Wind Tower Structures
2. Structural Failures
3. Wind Power Economics
4. Structural Design
Considerations
5. Improving Structural
Design Practice
1.

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Wind Tower Structures

1980s 1990s:
Wind Towers <
40m Truss
Structures
Turbine Sizes
250 kW 500
kW

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Why Taller Towers?

Wind Energy Basics

POWER = dW/dt = Energy (work)/time = Torque x Angular Velocity

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Swept Rotor Area

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Structural Failures
Structural Tubular Failures:

Diameter-thickness ratios are high

Buckling failure due to instability of the tower tube

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Structural Failures
Structural Tubular
Failures:

E-stop load condition

Overspeed of the

rotor

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Foundation Failures

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Tower Failure

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Khatri International Inc.,

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Foundation Design Issues

Overturning moment
Soil failure

Dynamic stiffness
Fatigue causing cracks in concrete
Rotational stiffness degradation

Soil-structure interaction

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Structural Failure/Collapse of Wind Towers

3 short videos of wind tower collapse
Tower design issues

E-stop loading
Rotor imbalance
Fatigue cracking

Buckling/stability failure

Khatri International Inc.,

www.khatrinternational.com

Conclusions
AWEA, Structural Failures of Wind Towers, Khatri
Economical Design solutions are available

One size does NOT fit all; One foundation does not
dictate all solutions for all soil sites; similarly one
tower doesnt necessarily work on all sites
Learn from our mistakes and implement new solutions
Structural Failures are linked to definable causes that
have been experienced before and can be prevented

Khatri International Inc.,

www.khatrinternational.com

Thank You!
Dilip Khatri,PhD, SE

Khatri International Inc.,

www.khatrinternational.com