Optimization of Shear Bonds of the Grouted Joints of Offshore Wind Turbine Tower Based on Plastic Damage Model

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

 

This paper investigates plastic damage of the grouting connection section, and analyzes the stress and deformation distribution of the steel pipes. Well written. It is a good paper. It can be published after the revision.

1- In line 59, please add a space in “bonds[7, 8].”

2- Line 59, add the refence number for “Li Wei et al.”

3- Line 64, add one space in “bond[9]”. Also, in lines 75, 80, 82, …

4- Line 71, please use “FE simulation”, instead of “finite element simulation”.

5- In order to provide a more comprehensive literature review, the authors should cite and discuss the following relevant papers in their revised manuscript:

"Static strength of tubular T/Y-joints reinforced with collar plates at fire induced elevated temperature." Marine Structures 67 (2019): 102635.

Geometrical effects on the LJF of tubular T/Y-joints with doubler plate in offshore wind turbines. Ships and Offshore Structures, 17(3), pp.481-491.

"Local joint flexibility of CHS T/Y-connections strengthened with collar plate under in-plane bending load: parametric study of geometrical effects and design formulation." Ocean Engineering 202 (2020): 107054.

6- Line 91, add one space in “Fig.1.”

7- Line 117, “Rs” should be Italic.

8- Verification step should be more discussed.

9- Line 163, Please add the reference for “According to Sidiroff's energy equivalence principle,”

10- Add a meshed joint. Also, discus about the effect of the mesh size on the results.

11- In contact modeling, which surfaces are selected as target and contact planes?

Author Response

1,2,3,4,6,7,9 has been modified .

5,Recommended literatures have been cited to provide a more comprehensive review.

8,The verification steps are explained in a more detailed way.

10,The grid size has been further elaborated .

11,This has been added to the article.

Reviewer 2 Report

The paper presents numerical investigations of the shear bond behavior in offshore fan grouting joints. The numerical studies have been performed based on an existing damage plastic model. Parametric studies have been carried out to optimize the performance of shear bonds in the offshore fan grouting joints. The work shows interesting results, but the manuscript needs to be improved. Here are some suggestions: 

1. An additional figure showing the overall picture of the investigated grouting joint connections in wind power plants is recommended to be included in the introduction.

2. The description of the used numerical model is not sufficient. I would recommend to supplement the description of the numerical model by a short summary of the model formulation or by some illustrative figures, such as the behavior under elementary load configuration, the yield surface ..etc. 

3. It is well known that structures such as offshore wind power plants are subjected to repeated wind loads, so fatigue behavior plays a major role. 

It would be good to elaborate on this point and highlight it for further research in this area. It is also important to extend the current state of the art with more advanced numerical models that can capture the fatigue behavior of concrete and interfaces. Here are some suggestions:
* Models for fatigue behavior of concrete and cement-based materials:
-  International journal of fatigue (2015), 70, 93–105, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2014.08.012
- International journal of Plasticity, (2021), 143, 102950, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijplas.2021.102950
- International Journal of Fatigue (2019), 121, 191–196, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2018.12.023

* Models for simulating the fatigue behavior of interfaces:
- Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids (2015), 85, 33–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmps.2015.09.002
- Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering (2022), 398, 115259, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cma.2022.115259

4. The language quality of the manuscript needs to be improved. 

 

Author Response

1,The general situation diagram of the grouting joint has been added.

2,the numerical model is further elaborated, and the results of the model comparison table is drawn.

3,The discussion offatigue behavior has been increased.

4,The grammar and expression used in the article have been extensively modified and polished.

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

The paper is ready for publication.