Predicting failure of dynamic cables for floating offshore wind

Advancements in the offshore wind industry have increased the viability of large floating turbines. All floating structures will require cables to run through the water column, from their base at the water surface to the seabed. This exposes the cables to the dynamic forces produced by marine currents, waves and the response motions of the floating platform itself. Predicting how these cables will perform and survive offshore would prove beneficial to wind farm owners and operators. The work presented aims to give a better understanding of how the dynamic forces the cables would be exposed to can impact the cable cross-section at a component level. How these forces produce mechanical stress across the cross-section of the dynamic cable is analyzed by finite element analysis. The outcome of this can be used to estimate fatigue damage of a cable components cross section at any point along the cable length.