Abstract:
Based on a case study of an operational offshore photovoltaic (PV) array, this study conducts wind tunnel pressure tests using a rigid model. The distributions of mean wind pressure coefficients and extreme wind pressure values on the PV array are obtained for wind directions ranging from 0° to 180°. Wind-induced vibration responses under various wind directions are analyzed using the finite element software (i.e., SAP2000), and the distribution characteristics of power spectral density for the time history of displacement are analyzed. Fatigue cumulative damage at key nodes of the support structure is evaluated by integrating the rain-flow counting method with the cumulative damage by Miner’s rule. Results indicate that the PV modules located at the edge of PV array experience the most significant dynamic responses at the wind directions of 30° and 150°, whereas the mid-span modules exhibit peak responses at 0° and 180°. Besides, the maximum vibration response of the structure is positively correlated with the corresponding wind pressure magnitude, and the vibration response shows a dominant low-frequency characteristic. The 30-year cumulative fatigue damage at critical structural nodes is calculated as 5.8×10
-5, substantially lower than the code-specified limit. This indicates that the service environment of this PV array is appropriately safe and the associated probability of fatigue failure is low. These findings provide valuable references for the wind-resistant design of offshore PV array structures.