Reinforcement Design in Wind Turbine Foundations Using Three-Dimensional Solid Finite Element Modeling

Resumo

Wind turbines have played an increasingly important role in the global energy mix, acting as key players in the transition toward sustainable energy sources. Within the structural system that makes up these machines, the foundations occupy a critical position, guaranteeing stability and safety under the high dynamic and static loads imposed on them. Proper sizing of these foundations—especially their reinforced-concrete components—is essential for ensuring long-term structural performance and installation longevity.In Brazil, structural designs of wind-turbine foundations are typically verified using shell finite-element models. Although computationally efficient, such idealizations may fail to capture the complex three-dimensional stress distribution, particularly in regions with geometric discontinuities and at the interfaces between structural components. Given that foundation blocks usually feature massive geometries with irregular volumes and significant soil interaction, relying on shell models can lead to excessive simplifications that compromise the accuracy of reinforcement calculations.This article presents a reinforcement-design procedure based on three-dimensional models employing solid finite elements. The proposed approach seeks to overcome the limitations inherent in shell idealizations, enabling a more accurate representation of internal stress states and yielding designs that are more robust and better aligned with real-world behavior. The paper discusses criteria for stress extraction and conversion into reinforcement, along with practical aspects of implementation and validation of the procedure.