Mechanical responses of submarine power cables subject to axisymmetric loadings

Submarine power cables are considered lifelines in wind farm engineering, playing a key role in transporting electric current produced by wind turbines or wave converter. Cables inevitably confront combined loadings in deep-sea areas, affecting the integrity and safety during their installation and application. In this paper, the mechanical behaviour of submarine power cables subject to axisymmetric loadings(tension, torsion and external pressure) is investigated through both analytical and numerical methods. The objective of the analytical method is to predict the tension and torsion stiffness of cables and evaluate the stress of armour wires. These values from the two methods are essentially in agreement with each other. In addition, the effects of wire layers, winding angles and external pressure are discussed through the analytical method. The obtained conclusions will benefit the cross-section design of power cables and relative practical engineering.