Project description
Novel design solution for reliable onshore wind turbines
Onshore wind turbines have become an increasingly important part of renewable and sustainable energy initiatives, and new turbines are being constructed more frequently. They are expected to play a key role in achieving the green transition. Unfortunately, the growing size of modern turbines and the increasing frequency of climate-induced hazards are making traditional design methods obsolete. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the ROCKWIND project aims to develop state-of-the-art high-fidelity finite element models that account for nonlinear soil-structure interaction, contact mechanics, and controlled rocking at the foundation and tower interfaces. Furthermore, it will explore and introduce novel energy-dissipating and semi-rigid strategies, as well as key techniques and reliability frameworks.
Objective
This project proposes a transformative approach to the design of onshore wind turbine foundations by introducing and optimizing rocking-based solutions under multihazard loading conditions. Traditional design methods assume rigid foundation behavior and enforce a no-gapping criterion, often leading to over-conservative or suboptimal designs that fail to account for nonlinear soil-structure interaction (SSI) effects, especially under extreme wind and seismic events. As turbine sizes grow and climate-induced hazards become more frequent, current deterministic approaches fall short in ensuring resilience, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability.
The project advances the state-of-the-art by developing high-fidelity finite element (FE) models that incorporate nonlinear SSI, contact mechanics, and controlled rocking at the foundation and tower interfaces. These models will be validated using real-world failure cases and experimental tests on scaled prototypes. Novel semi-rigid and energy-dissipating connection strategies will be explored to enable controlled deformation and reduce damaging forces during dynamic events.
In parallel, a comprehensive reliability-based multihazard risk framework will be established, leveraging probabilistic methods such as Monte Carlo simulations and FORM/SORM techniques to quantify performance under stochastic loading. This will enable the generation of fragility curves and optimized foundation configurations tailored to site-specific hazard profiles and soil conditions.
By integrating computational mechanics, geotechnical engineering, structural dynamics, and probabilistic risk analysis, the project will deliver design guidelines and decision-support tools for resilient wind turbine foundation systems. The outcomes aim to inform future standards and support the transition to more robust and adaptive renewable energy infrastructure.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
G1 1XQ Glasgow
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.