Foundations for Offshore Wind Towers

Marissa BlakleyYES Prep Public Schools – Houston, Texas

Dr. Giovanna Biscontin & Dr. Charles AubenyDepartment of Civil Engineering

The Research Problem

The strong lateral forces present at sea cause wind turbines to vibrate, or rock back and forth.

These vibrations cause the soil at the bottom of the ocean to weaken, creating a vertical angle between the pile and ocean floor.

If this angle exceeds 5o, the wind turbine stops producing energy. Texas A&M University, Department of Civil Engineering

My Research Experience In order to measure the strength of the

soil, the research team conducted T-bar and Mini Shear Vane tests using soil mined and shipped from Florida.

Teachers were responsible for mixing powdered clay and water to a predetermined water content of 55%, and determining the soil strength by running each of the tests.

Data was collected using the T-bar, Mini Shear Vane, Basic DAQ and Smart Motor Interface computer software.

The T-bar test recorded voltages and then multiplied by the calibration factor giving force, which is an indicator of soil strength.

The Mini Shear Vane test recorded voltages and multiplied by the calibration factor giving torque.

With these different methods of collecting data, we were able to improve our understanding of the soil mechanics in the ocean.

Enduring Understandings◦ Using the Unit Circle and right triangle trigonometry, we can

generate the graphs for the sinusoidal functions y = sin(x) and y = cos(x).

◦ Sinusoidal functions can be used to model real world applications – the rise and fall of tides, pendulum motion, the movement of weights supported by springs, etc.

◦ All previous transformations of functions can be applied to sinusoidal functions.

Unit 5- Sinusoidal Functions

Essential Questions◦ How does understanding the unit circle, lead to the

construction of the graphs of and ?◦ What types of real-world problems can be modeled and

solved using trigonometry?◦ How are graphic representations of the trigonometric

functions useful in understanding real-life phenomena?

TEKS3.B - Use functions

such as logarithmic, exponential,

trigonometric, polynomial, etc. to

model real-life data

3.E - Solve problems from physical situations

using trigonometry, including the use of Law of Sines, Law of Cosines, and area formulas and

incorporate radian measure where needed.

College Board

PC.2.1.1 - Graphs functions of the form f (t) = A sin(Bt + C) + D or g(t) = A cos(Bt + C) + D, and interprets A, B, C, and

D in terms of amplitude, frequency, period, and

vertical and phase shift.PC.1.1.6 - Compares and

contrasts characteristics of different families of functions,

such as trigonometric functions, and translates among verbal, tabular, graphical, and symbolic

representations of functions.PC.2.1.5 - Constructs the graphs of the

trigonometric functions, and describes their behavior, including

periodicity, amplitude, zeros, and symmetries.

YESPC.4.1 –

Analyzing periodic functions

PC.5.1 – Graphing the sine and cosine

functionsPC.5.2 – Writing

sinusoidal functions from graphs and written

descriptionsPC.5.3 – Application

problems involving sinusoidal functions

Performance Standards

Amplitude Period Midline Periodic Function Periodic Phenomena Sinusoidal Function Sinusoidal Regression

Geotechnical Engineering

Wind Turbine Monopile Blades Low-g Accelerometer Energy Diversification

Key Words

What is engineering to you? Based on

your prior experiences, what do

you think an engineer does?

Day 1 - QuickwriteENGAGE.

Aerospace Agricultural Biological Biomedical Chemical Civil Computer Science Electrical

Engineering Technology

Industrial Distribution

Industrial & Systems Mechanical Nuclear Petroleum

Day 1 – Class DiscussionWhat are the different kinds of engineering?

ENGAGE.

Day 1- Engineering VideoEXPLORE.

Day 1- Types of Civil Engineering Coastal Ocean Construction Environmental Geotechnical Materials Structural Transportation Water Resources

EXPLORE.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geotechnical_engineering

Day 1- My ResearchEXPLAIN.

The Task◦ In teams of four, design an offshore wind turbine

with budget and specification guidelines that will perform under sea-like conditions.

Day 1- The Wind Turbine Project

EXPLAIN.

The Model◦ Create a subsurface structure that will attach to a

wind tower no larger than 18 vertical inches with attached blades.

Day 1- The Wind Turbine Project

EXPLAIN.

The Budget◦ All models must be completed using the provided

materials, and each group must remain at or under their project budget–60 Eddy bucks.

Day 1- The Wind Turbine Project

EXPLAIN.

The Materials◦ Sheets of plastic◦ Wooden dowels◦ Popsicle sticks◦ Toothpicks◦ Pipe Cleaners◦ Glue Stick◦ Straws◦ Sheets of cardstock◦ Rubber bands

◦ Pushpins◦ Large paper clips◦ Small paper clips◦ Brads◦ Sheets of foam◦ Paint sticks◦ Duct tape◦ Scissors

Day 1- The Wind Turbine Project

$6/sheet $2 each $3 each $1 each $2 each $0.50 each

$0.10 each $4 each $2 each $2/sq. in. $5 each $3 each $1 each $0.50/6 inch piece

$1 each

$2/sheet

$2 each

EXPLAIN.

Day 2- The Engineering Design Process

ELABORATE.

Mr. Tim Chinn, Texas A&M University

The Tracker

Day 2- The Wind Turbine Project

ELABORATE.

The Tests◦ Each team’s model will be tested in two ways:

How much does the structure vibrate when put under wind conditions?

How much weight can be applied before each structure fails?

Day 2- The Wind Turbine Project

ELABORATE.

Vernier.com

Day 2- Improving Designs The majority of Day 2 will be spent in the

design phase of the engineering design process.

Each team will be provided with a bucket full of the soil mixture (75% water content) to test their creations.

As they work on their models, teams will be allowed to simulate testing conditions & improve their designs.

ELABORATE.

Day 3- Testing & Data Collection

EVALUATE.

Test 1: How much does the structure vibrate when put under wind-like conditions?

Test 2: How much weight can be applied before each structure fails?

Day 3- The RubricEVALUATE.

Day 4- PreCalculus Connections

EVALUATE.

7. Over the course of one day, a team of scientists has recorded the ground temperature, measured in oF, as a function of the time t, measured in hours since midnight. The scientists have agreed that this data is periodic and can be properly modeled using a sinusoidal function.

Based on this model, which of the following statements is true?

I. The maximum temperature in the desert occurs before 2:00 p.m. II. Between midnight and 6:00 a.m., the temperature remains below 76oF III. The temperature in the desert is decreasing between 3:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m.

A. I onlyD. II and III only.

B. II onlyE. I, II and III

C. I and III only

Sample Pre-Test & Post-Test Questions

t 6 7 8 9 12 15 18 21 23oF 76 80 85 90 104 109 104 100 80

 

Sample Pre-Test & Post-Test Questions

Acknowledgements

Dr. Giovanna Biscontin

Dr. Charles Aubeny Ryan Beemer Madahuri Murali Francisco Grajales Michelle Bernhardt Silvia Vital E3 Team

Special Thanks

Questions?