Issue 78

S. Majer et alii, Fracture and Structural Integrity, 78 (2026) 504-518; DOI: 10.3221/IGF-ESIS.78.29

cannot be presented or quantitatively compared with the FEM results in this paper. Consequently, a direct quantitative validation of the numerical results against the field measurements could not be performed. Nevertheless, the construction stage monitoring confirmed that the settlement behaviour of the analysed facility remained within the limits specified in the project documentation. This provides practical verification of the adopted design approach, while the lack of access to the detailed monitoring records represents a limitation of the present study.

Figure 13: Numerical settlement analysis (FEM) of the aggregate pavement under loading from stored monopiles at the installation terminal in Ś winouj ś cie.

C ONCLUSIONS

T

he following conclusions can be drawn from the presented case studies and operational experience obtained within the Ports of Szczecin and Ś winouj ś cie: 1. The development of offshore wind energy infrastructure has significantly increased the operational loads acting on port pavements due to the storage, handling, assembly, and transportation of oversized wind turbine components. 2. Offshore wind logistics introduces extreme static and transport loads that directly influence pavement design. The analysed cases include tower sections weighing up to approximately 450 tonnes, nacelles with a weight of approximately 800 tonnes, and individual wind turbine blades weighing more than 26 tonnes. 3. The geotechnical conditions within the Szczecin– Ś winouj ś cie port complex require pavement design to be considered together with subsoil behaviour. The presence of reclaimed land, heterogeneous sandy deposits, organic soils, and shallow groundwater may result in significant total and differential settlements. Therefore, geotechnical investigation and settlement assessment are essential components of the design process. 4. Reinforced concrete slab pavements represent a suitable solution for heavily loaded port terminals. Operational experience from the analysed facilities indicates that concrete slabs with a minimum thickness of 20 cm, combined with appropriate reinforcement, can accommodate intensive operational loading while allowing individual slabs to be repaired or replaced when required. 5. For offshore wind storage yards and installation terminals, geosynthetic-reinforced aggregate pavements provide an effective and operationally flexible solution. The analysed pavement concepts combine thick aggregate layers with geosynthetic reinforcement and ground improvement measures adapted to the local subsoil conditions.. 6. Numerical FEM analysis is an important tool for assessing settlement behaviour under extreme static loads. In the Ś winouj ś cie installation terminal case, FEM analysis using GEO5 was applied to evaluate the response of the subsoil under loads generated by stored offshore wind components. Although detailed numerical field-monitoring data were not available for direct comparison, construction-stage settlement monitoring confirmed compliance with the design requirements. 7. The analysed cases demonstrate that reliable port pavement design requires an integrated approach combining operational load definition, geotechnical investigation, pavement selection, structural verification, settlement assessment, and ground improvement. The presented cases show that the pavement solution should be adapted to

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