Digital twin to survey offshore turbine damage

Scientists from the University of Nottingham, UK, have created a two-stage computer model approach to estimate the embedded length of foundation piles.

Foundation piles are columns that support many structures, including buildings, bridges and offshore wind turbines.

Dr Luke Prendergast and Andreas Loakim have simulated the effects of weather damage to these structures.

By applying a hammer impact to the top of the pile and measuring the resulting vibrations using a sensor, they can estimate the embedded length of the pile through a virtual model.

Their findings have been published in Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing.

It is hoped this will help assess the damage to the piles before and after major storms.

Prendergast is hopeful of the technology. ‘It has potential to help engineers understand the current condition of structural foundations so that virtual models can be created.’