A Design Procedure for Anchors of Floating Ocean Current Turbines on Weak Rock

In recent years, ocean current turbines have proven to be a reliable device for renewable energy generation. A crucial element of these turbines are the foundations, since they limit the displacement of the turbine, which is key in achieving efficiency in energy conversion, and can account for up to 26% of the total cost of the project. Most design procedures for foundations focus on sandy and clayey soils, but rock soils often predominate in tropical locations where marine currents are suitable for the installation of this type of turbine. This paper presents a design procedure for steel pile anchors (PAs) and concrete dead weight anchors (DWAs) on weak rock soils, using the assumptions of current technical documents and design codes commonly used in the industry for marine structures. Using specific designs for PA and DWA anchors, the procedure was theoretically assessed for a site off Cozumel Island, Mexico. The results show that the dimensions needed for DWAs are substantially larger than those for PAs. Therefore, whenever drilling is economically and operatively possible, piles would be preferable for the foundations of current turbine systems.

Stability Analysis and Protection Measures of Large Section Tunnel in Coal Rich Weak Rock Stratum

Due to poor engineering geological conditions of Liujiazhuang tunnel on Shanghai-Kunming Passenger Dedicated Line, the large deformation of weak rock occurs repeatedly during tunnel construction. In this paper, the large-scale finite element software ABAQUS is used to simulate the construction process of a large-section tunnel in weak surrounding rock. It is found that when tunnel face passes through the coal seam, the displacement and stress simulated by the bench method increase abruptly. The maximum stress reaches up to 18 MPa, and displacement reaches 45 mm, which is about twice when without crossing coal seam. It is technically feasible to use the bench method for tunnel construction, under the condition when large settlements is allowed; additionally, the bench method has better technical and economic benefits than that of the CD method. Through the comparative analysis of onsite monitoring data and numerical simulation results, it can be seen that the tunnel is in a dangerous state when passing through the coal seam and measures such as strengthening support or auxiliary advance support should be taken immediately to control the surrounding rock and to ensure tunnel construction safety.