Development of a Test Machine and Wear Test to Reproduce the Wear Caused by the Mooring Chain Connection of Floating Wind Turbines Sliding in Water due to the Movement of the Floating Body

Abstract In order to ensure the safety of floating offshore wind turbines, it is essential to establish a method for assessing the amount of wear on the mooring chain. This allows maintenance costs to be considered at the planning stage of the installation. In this study, an experimental system was constructed to reproduce the wear behavior of a mooring chain with dimensions similar to those of the in-service machine, when it is completely submerged in water. The wear behavior was investigated under several tension conditions, and it was confirmed that the wear behavior in a fully submerged environment was different from that in air or in liquid drops. In addition, a discussion on the mechanism of the wear progression stages of mooring chains was presented.