OasisLMS

Abstract: Anchors for floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) endure substantial loads during extreme weather and diverse soil conditions. However, existing anchor alternatives typically rely on a single installation method, which may not be suitable for heterogeneous soil conditions. The Deeply Embedded Ring Anchor (DERA) has been developed to tackle these challenges. The DERA utilizes multiple existing installation methods depending on soil conditions, such as suction installation for clay and vibratory installation for sand and stratified soils, improving geotechnical efficiency and significant cost savings. One distinctive feature of the DERA is its use of the follower, which reduces required anchor material and improves geotechnical efficiency by deep embedding the anchor. Understanding the follower extraction process during vibratory hammer installation is crucial for integrating the follower into the DERA system. This study evaluates the feasibility of vibratory installation for the anchor-follower system and the follower extraction process using vibratory hammers. The evaluations utilize finite element analysis and a verified model to estimate the required size and characteristics of the vibratory hammer and confirm its ability to reach the target embedment depth.

Song Qin

Annual Conference Proceedings