Visco-elasto-plastic characterization and modeling of a wet polyamide laid-strand sub-rope for floating offshore wind turbine moorings

Polyamide 6 fiber ropes are of interest for floating offshore wind turbine mooring lines but could exhibit complex mechanical behavior during loading at sea, such as creep, relaxation, variable dynamic stiffness or visco-plasticity. There is a need for a model that could be introduced into finite element analyses to predict this complex response; it should also describe the effect of the loading history. This paper presents a visco-elasto-plastic behavior model based on four dashpot-ratchet-spring elements that allow a precise description of polyamide 6 rope behavior. An identification method, using a multi-relaxation test, is described. It has been implemented in a finite element analysis software and validations are made by comparing the model results to the experimental data. The present work is the result of an extensive effort initiated by the collaborative research project POLYAMOOR and continued by the MONAMOOR project, both led by France Energies Marines.