Review on Structural Design and Performance Analysis of Wind Turbine Towers

Abstract

Wind turbine towers are critical supporting structures whose structural safety, durability, and cost-effectiveness become increasingly important as turbine capacities and hub heights increase. This review synthesises the structural design and performance characteristics of steel tubular, concrete, steel–concrete hybrid, and lattice wind turbine towers, with particular emphasis on the role of finite element analysis (FEA). The review considers mechanical behaviour, durability, static response, fatigue performance, and dynamic and seismic characteristics. FEA enables high-fidelity representation of tapered shells, connections, transition sections, material behaviour, and relevant loading conditions, thereby supporting evaluation of stress distributions, deformation, local stress concentrations, buckling resistance, and fatigue-damage accumulation. The reviewed studies indicate that flange connections and transition regions require particular attention in static assessment, while fatigue performance is strongly influenced by cyclic wind loading and tower-specific loading conditions. Modal and seismic analyses further show the importance of natural-frequency control, long-period ground motions, near-field effects, and soil–structure interaction in the dynamic response of wind turbine towers. Emerging approaches combine FEA with machine-learning-based prediction, acoustic-emission monitoring, and vibration-control devices. Overall, FEA provides an effective framework for analysing the principal structural performance aspects of wind turbine towers and for supporting design optimisation, durability assessment, and life-cycle performance evaluation. Future applications may increasingly integrate numerical modelling with digital-twin and structural-health-monitoring approaches.