The Curvature – Energy Relations in Buckling Analysis of Tubular Wind Turbine Towers

A former study on wind turbine tower collapse incidences throughout the past 40 years revealed that among various types buckling failure was most catastrophic as led to of tubular shell structures. As modern harvesting energy is usually performed by towers being cylindrical shells thin walls, need thorough investigation behaviour structures operating under extreme environmental actions obvious. The present paper addresses such knowledge gap through a series 100 numerical models underpinned well-established Riks Method for analysis. method enables scrutiny elements axial load and bending moment. Within proposed framework curvature–energy analysis, stored within an imperfect structure expressed quantified cross-section diaphragms symbolic lines, covering pre-buckling, transient stage, post-buckling performance close bifurcation point. analysis unveils changes local surface curvature flows with multiple longitudinal circumferential wavenumbers taking place during pre-buckling process. Wavenumbers induce magnitude jumping over adjacent eigenmodes. Furthermore, mode sees faster more convergence result higher moments. diversity final largely determined variance geometry, compression–bending ratio boundary conditions.