Support structures of offshore wind turbines are exposed to high dynamic loads caused by wind, waves and operation. The support structures have to resist an extreme number of load cycles during their design life. Therefore, fatigue resistance becomes relevant for providing secure service time and economic design. As a result of growing turbine capacity and adverse offshore conditions, components which are involved in the load transfer need to be checked for fatigue in detail. This paper gives an overview of actual types of support structures, particular character of dynamic loads and fatigue resistances of specific constructional details.
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Schaumann et al. (2011) studied this question.