Active Tuned Mass Damper Control of Wind Turbine Nacelle/Tower Vibrations with Damaged Foundations

The aim of this paper is to develop an active structural control scheme to control wind turbine nacelle/tower out-of-plane vibration. An active tuned mass damper (ATMD) is designed an placed inside the turbine nacelle. An Euler-Lagrangian wind turbine model based on energy formulation is developed for this purpose, which considers the structural dynamics of the system and the interaction between in-plane and out-of-plane vibrations. Also, the interaction between the blades and the tower including the ATMD is considered. The wind, turbine is subjected to gravity and turbulent aerodynamic loadings. A three-dimensional (3D) model of a wind turbine foundation is designed and analysed in the finite element geotechnical code PLAXIS. The rotation of the foundation is measured and used to calculate a rotational spring constant for use in wind turbine models to describe the soil-structure interaction (SSI) between the wind turbine foundation and the underlying soil medium. Damage is induced in the soil medium by a loss in foundation stiffness. The active control scheme is shown to reduce nacelle/tower vibration when damage occurs.