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Session: Anthropogenic and Urban Seismology

Type: Oral

Date: 10/16/2025

Time: 09:15 AM

Room: Crystal Ballroom

Monitoring Wind Turbine Vibrations with Ground-based Seismic Sensors for Subsurface and Structural Insight

Wind turbines generate continuous seismic signals that reflect their structural dynamics and interactions with the surrounding environment. In this study, we explore the feasibility of using a single ground-based seismic sensor to monitor wind turbine vibrations and detect both structural changes and near-subsurface variations. Our deployment included multiple three-component seismic sensors at two wind farms in Illinois: Hoopeston and Pioneer Trail. Over a 16-month period, we recorded ambient seismic noise and extracted the peak vibration frequency associated with the vibration of the turbine tower.
Our analysis reveals that the peak vibration frequency exhibits clear seasonal trends and small short-term fluctuations. Correlation with environmental data shows that air temperature, wind speed, and soil moisture content are all linked to frequency variation, suggesting that these environmental factors drive long-term, seasonal changes. Temperature influences the material stiffness of the tower structure, affecting vibration frequency, while soil moisture affects the interaction between the tower and its foundation. Wind speed introduces periodic loading through mechanisms such as tower shadowing and vortex shedding, further influencing vibration characteristics. A linear model incorporating these variables successfully captures long-term frequency variation, and the model residuals isolate short-term fluctuations that may reflect local anomalies.
We examined seismic records surrounding a turbine collapse event that occurred near one sensor. While no definitive precursor was observed in the short-term frequency residuals, ongoing analysis seeks to better characterize potential failure indicators. These findings suggest that passive seismic monitoring holds promise as a cost-effective approach for detecting shallow subsurface changes, including critical zone soil moisture content, and for exploring the potential to identify structural anomalies in wind turbine systems.

Presenting Author: Sayan

Additional Authors