Structural design and analysis of offshore wind turbines from a system point of view

Offshore wind turbines are relatively complex structural and mechanical systems located in a highly demanding environment. In this study, the fundamental aspects and major issues related to the design of such structures are inquired. The system approach is proposed to carry out the design of the structural parts: in accordance with this philosophy, a decomposition of the system (environment, structure, actions/loads) and of the structural performance is carried out, in order to organize the qualitative and quantitative assessment in various sub-problems. These can be faced by sub-models of different complexity both for the structural behavior and for the load models. Numerical models are developed to assess the safety performance under aerodynamic and hydrodynamic actions. In the structural analyses, three types of turbine support structures have been considered and compared: a monopile, a tripod and a jacket.