FutureWind & Marine 2025
Morning Session A:
Materials & Structural Dynamics
Matthew Simms Meng Ceng FIMechE
Wood Thilsted
Technical Director
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Title: Designing the global energy transition
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Biography: Matthew is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer in the Offshore Structures team at Wood Thilsted as well as a Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). He has over 17 years’ experience working on seismic, blast analysis and complex finite element modelling as well as offshore wind substructure design. Specialisms including:​ structural integrity assessments​, offshore wind substructure design​, finite element analysis​, seismic analysis​, fatigue analysis, strain gauge measurement and data processing​, vibration measurements, structural dynamics​.
Machar Devine
University of Edinburgh
Title: Recyclable acrylic resins for future wind and tidal turbine blades​
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Abstract: Wind and tidal turbine blades are made from polymer-matrix composite materials for their light weight, high strength and stiffness. However, the use of non-recyclable polymers creates sustainability challenges. Liquid acrylic resins are a recyclable alternative, but they may not be adopted by manufacturers without a full understanding of their properties. This presentation will discuss the properties of acrylic-matrix composites, propose methods of improving these properties, and introduce novel joining methods which are unique to acrylic parts.​
Gerard Ryan
University of Oxford
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Title: Impact of non-linear load models on design of offshore wind turbines against extreme conditions​
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Abstract: This presentation concerns the influence of non-linear wave loads on the response and design of monopile supported offshore wind turbines against extreme conditions. A novel non-linear Stokes-type force model is first compared to industry standard practice and what is currently considered state of the art. These comparisons confirm that wave models which include non-linear wave-structure interactions have a significant impact on the structural response and design. Furthermore, these comparisons show that the stokes-type force model is appropriate for dynamically sensitive structures at a fraction of the computational time required to compute non-linear kinematic wave fields.​