Posters
Come meet the poster presenters to ask them questions and discuss their work
We would like to invite you to come and see the posters at our upcoming conference. The posters will showcase a diverse range of research topics, and will give delegates an opportunity to engage with the authors and learn more about their work. Whether you are a seasoned researcher or simply curious about the latest developments in your field, we believe that the posters will offer something of interest to everyone. So please join us at the conference and take advantage of this opportunity to learn and engage with your peers in the academic community. We look forward to seeing you there!
PO248: Innovative bonded fasteners for cost effective and ecological construction of wind turbines
Jean-Philippe Court, President and Founder, COLD PAD
Abstract
The ecological transition is today marked by a considerable surge of wind energy exploitation driven by the rapid development of offshore wind turbines which can benefit from large regular wind. The European Union is keen on supporting the offshore wind sector aiming to reach carbon neutrality in 2050 and setting an ambitious production target of 300 GW by 2050 whereas it is currently around 12 GW. One of the challenges in wind turbine tower design and construction is to avoid intrusiveness on the primary structure to prevent stress concentrations detrimental to the tower's fatigue life. By replacing drilling and welding by non-intrusive structural fastening, it becomes possible to reduce the tower steel thickness, bringing a significant reduction of the CO2 footprint. Today, most common methods to make non-intrusive structural fastening involve either magnets or compression rings. Capitalizing on its expertise in adhesive bonded fastener for the oil and gas and nuclear industries, COLD PAD has developed an innovative alternative to fasten structural elements inside towers without affecting its structure: C-CLAW S300 bonded mechanical fasteners. These fasteners are designed to provide durable anchor points with a design capacity of 3kN. Quasi-static mechanical tests have been performed in shear and in tension to assess the mechanical performances of the fastener. The regulatory design capacity is derived from mechanical tests results using the Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) approach prescribed in the DNV-ST-C501 standard. To ensure a quick, reliable and repeatable installation in any environment, including very humid areas like offshore, a dedicated industrial installation tool has been developed. As to the CO2 footprint of the fastener itself, it is worth noting it can be removable without residual constraints in the tower and recycled.
