ANALYSIS OF THE STRUCTURAL BEHAVIOR OF REINFORCED CONCRETE BLOCKS ON PILES AS A FOUNDATION OF ONSHORE AEROGENERATOR CONSIDERING SIDE FRAME BETWEEN PILES AND SOIL
Structural Analysis, Wind Turbine Foundation, Numerical Modeling, MEF.
This Paper consists of the analysis of the structural behavior of foundations for onshore wind turbines represented by reinforced concrete blocks on piles, considering the contribution of the lateral friction of the shaft in the conduction of loads to the ground, through non-linear numerical modeling. In order to carry out simulations that realistically reproduce the behavior of a deep foundation for a wind tower, computational models were developed, using the Finite Element Method (FEM), of the block analyzed by Araújo (2018), with the help of the Ansys Workbench R20 software. Performing the dimensioning of the main flexural reinforcement of the block and considering the perfect adhesion between soil and piles, in a simplified way, through contact surfaces, it was possible to determine the contribution of each element of the foundation (block, shaft and tip of the piles) in the transmission of loads on different types of soil. By comparing the models, it was noted the strong influence of the boundary conditions on the results that considered the lateral friction of the piles, which required the calibration of the vertical reaction coefficients of the inserted supports, according to criteria compatible with the type of soil considered. In the end, consistent results were obtained between the models, which revealed changes in the direction of the reactions in piles previously considered to be pulled, in simpler analyzes