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Lookup NU author(s): James Barron, Dr Edward Land, Professor Mohamed Rouainia, Dr Tom CharltonORCiD, Professor Stuart Edwards
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Floating offshore wind arrays installed with shared anchors have been proposed as a cost-effective strategy for energy production. However, uncertainties about the ability of shared anchors to maintain station keeping under multidirectional storm loading may lead to over-conservative design. The modelling approach detailed in this study aims to reduce this uncertainty by capturing realistic mooring loads and applying them to the shared anchor. The characteristics of mooring loads from different mooring configurations are explored and the response of the shared anchor investigated. Mooring loads were obtained from simulations of the VolturnUS-S reference floating offshore wind turbine model under extreme sea states, considering both taut and catenary mooring in varying water depths. Mooring loads were then applied to a geotechnical model, and a nonlinear dynamic finite element analysis was undertaken using the advanced Sanisand-MS constitutive model to explore the performance of the shared anchor. The results show that shared suction caisson anchors installed in sand deposits can maintain performance during peak 50-year return period environmental loading events. The shared anchor appears to provide a sufficient vertical tensile capacity under drained conditions. While progressive upward ratcheting of the caisson, sufficient to deteriorate anchor performance, appears unlikely over the service lifetime, further investigation is required. Optimising mooring design to reduce the load inclination angle on the anchor could help mitigate this potential risk. Given the current uncertainties in the performance and modelling of shared anchors, this study provides useful insights into the mooring loading regimes and subsequent performance of shared anchors in sand.
Author(s): Barron J, Land E, Rouainia M, Charlton T, Gibson F, Edwards S
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Ocean Engineering
Year: 2026
Volume: 353
Issue: 2
Print publication date: 30/04/2026
Online publication date: 28/02/2026
Acceptance date: 04/02/2026
Date deposited: 14/04/2026
ISSN (print): 0029-8018
ISSN (electronic): 1873-5258
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2026.124572
DOI: 10.1016/j.oceaneng.2026.124572
Data Access Statement: No data was used for the research described in the article.
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