Nonlinear Wave Loads on High-rise Pile Cap Structures in the Donghai Bridge Wind Farm

A new type of bottom-fixed structure, the so-called high-rise pile cap foundation, has been proposed and used to support offshore wind turbines in the Donghai Bridge Wind Farm, China. Engineers are unaware of the wave load mechanisms for this new structure. Using the Navier-Stokes equations and volume of fluid technique, a fully nonlinear numerical wave tank is established to investigate free surface wave loads and moments for the new structure. The interaction between the cap and piles are discussed in detail. In the case of fully nonlinear waves, the maximum horizontal wave load on all the piles with the cap can increase by 30% compared with those without the cap, and the maximum horizontal wave load on a single pile is nearly doubled. The horizontal wave load on the cap with the piles can increase by about 15%, while the vertical wave load decreases slightly. The conventional Morison formula and diffraction theory generally underestimate the wave loads on the piles and the cap as well.