Analysis of

Structural Failures
of Wind Towers
AMERICAN WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION

May 2009

Dilip Khatri, PhD, MBA, SE

Senior Structural Engineer
URS Corporation
Los Angeles, CA
Analysis of Structural Failures

1. Wind Tower Structures

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

1980s 1990s:
Wind Towers <
40m Truss
Structures
Turbine Sizes
250 kW 500
kW
Wind Towers 1980s 2002

Wind Towers 40m 60m

Steel Tubular Towers
Spread Footings
Pile Cap Foundations
P&H Foundation
1 MW Turbine
1.5 2.0 MW Turbine
Wind Towers 2002 - present

Wind Towers 60m 80m

Steel Tubular Towers
Spread Footings
Pile Cap Foundations
P&H Foundation
2.0 MW Turbine = 400,000 # - 500,000 #
[190-230kN]
2.5 3.0 MW Turbine
Wind Towers - Future

100m + Tower Heights

3.0 MW 5.0 MW Turbines
700 kips [300 kN]
Why Taller Towers?
Wind Energy Basics
POWER = dW/dt = Energy (work)/time = Torque x Angular Velocity
Swept Rotor Area
Structural Failures

Structural Tubular Failures:

Diameter-thickness ratios are high
Buckling failure due to instability of the tower
tube
Structural Failures

Structural Tubular
Failures:
E-stop load condition
Overspeed of the
rotor
Foundation Failures
Foundation Design Issues

Overturning moment
Soil failure
Dynamic stiffness
Fatigue causing cracks in concrete
Rotational stiffness degradation
Soil-structure interaction
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
Tower Failure
Wind Power Economics:
Utility Grade Projects

Typical cost of 1 wind tower is $1,500,000 to

$2,000,000/tower
60 80m tower height
1.5MW-2.0MW turbine
Tower cost = $300,000
$245,000 for steel materials + labor
$50,000 for exterior painting
$5,000 for engineering design, permitting
Wind Power Economics:
Utility Grade Projects
Foundation Cost = $200,000
$100,000 for construction, materials, labor, onsite
management
$10,000 for design engineering, plans, permit
Nacelle + Rotor = $1,100,000
$900,000 Purchased from the Power Generation
company
$200,000 for onsite crane and assembly
Tower = $300,000
Total Cost = $1,600,000/tower
Wind Power Projects

A typical wind power project consisting

of 100 towers is 100 X $1.6MM =
$160MM project
Bank loan (80% debt-equity ratio) =
$128,000,000
Risk factor to banks and insurance
companies
Structural Design Considerations

Foundation-Soil-Tower Analysis; combined analysis

of the completed structure with soil profile included
3D Finite Element Analysis of taller towers
3D FEA of soil and foundation structure
Germanisher Lloyd Guidelines; GL Certificate of
Approval
Soil-structure interaction analysis of the foundation
Consider E-stop loading
Structural Design Improvements
Finite Element Analysis

Perform a detailed FEA of the tower and

include the nacelle + rotor into the model
Perform a soil-structure interaction model
Frequency Response Analysis
Dynamic Response Analysis
Fatigue analysis on the foundation elements
Include soil fatigue
Finite Element Analysis

3D FEA Models are

necessary to include
all vibration modes
3D models capture
the torsional behavior
and buckling
characteristics
Finite Element Analysis

Tower-Foundation
Models capture the full
frequency behavior
Soil-structure
interaction analysis
allows for the
foundation to be
included with the soil
strata
Finite Element Analysis

Tower-Foundation
Models capture
the full frequency
behavior
Soil-structure
interaction
analysis allows for
the foundation to
be included with
the soil strata
 FLAC3D 3.10

FLAC3D Soil-Structure Interaction Model

2006 Itasca Consulting Group, Inc.
Step 13873 Model Perspective
08:35:57 Wed Apr 01 2009

Center: Rotation:
X: 0.000e+000 X: 360.000
Y: 4.500e+000 Y: 0.000
Z: -9.000e+000 Z: 0.000
Dist: 1.040e+002 Mag.: 1
Ang.: 22.500

FLAC3D for soil-

Block Group
Live mech zones shown
structure cap
soil

interaction
SEL Geometry analysis
Magfac = 0.000e+000

to model micropiles
with a concrete cap FLAC3D 3.10
2006 Itasca Consulting Group, Inc.
Step 13873 Model Perspective
08:37:28 Wed Apr 01 2009

Overturning Center:
X: 7.417e+000
Rotation:
X: 40.000
FLAC3D 3.10
2006 Itasca Consulting Group, Inc.
Step 52462 Model Perspective
Y: 1.749e+000 Y: 0.000 16:44:24 Wed Apr 08 2009

Moment analysis
Z: -5.829e+000
Dist: 1.040e+002
Z: 40.000
Mag.: 1.25
Ang.: 22.500
Center:
X: 0.000e+000
Y: 7.290e+000
Z: -4.300e+000
Rotation:
X: 360.000
Y: 0.000
Z: 0.000
Dist: 1.040e+002 Mag.: 3.05
Block Group
Uplift capacity
Ang.: 22.500
Live mech zones shown
cap Contour of Z-Displacement
soil Magfac = 0.000e+000
Live mech zones shown
SEL Geometry
Itasca Consulting Group, Inc. -8.6132e-003 to -8.0000e-003

Post-Tension
-8.0000e-003 to -7.0000e-003
Magfac = 0.000e+000 -7.0000e-003 to -6.0000e-003
Minneapolis, MN USA -6.0000e-003 to -5.0000e-003
-5.0000e-003 to -4.0000e-003
-4.0000e-003 to -3.0000e-003
-3.0000e-003 to -2.0000e-003

Effects
-2.0000e-003 to -1.0000e-003
-1.0000e-003 to 0.0000e+000
0.0000e+000 to 1.0000e-003
1.0000e-003 to 1.2111e-003
Interval = 1.0e-003
SEL Geometry
Magfac = 0.000e+000
Sketch
Itasca Consulting Group, Inc.
Minneapolis, MN USA
Itasca Consulting Group, Inc.
Minneapolis, MN USA
Yaw Plate Analysis

ANSYS FEA of Yaw Plate

Eccentric Loads cause
stress concentrations
Off-axis wind gusts magnify
the moments on the yaw
plate
Structural Failure of Wind Towers

Over-speed condition
E-stop loading
Fatigue cracking in the tower shell
Foundation rotation due to overturning
moment, soil creep, soil fatigue, or combination
of soil-foundation stiffness degradation
Structural Failure of Wind Towers

Tower buckling
Blade separation
Eccentric loading due to offset between CG
and geometric center of tower nacelle (i.e.,
built in eccentric loading)
Improving Structural Design Methods

1. Structural Performance Monitoring

2. Comprehensive Research on Structural
Failures
3. Evaluation of All Load Conditions
4. Sharing our Design Problems for Discussion
5. Statistical Record Keeping
6. Improving the Design Codes