Approvals for grouted joints in offshore structures in Germany

authored by: Peter Schaumann, Anne Bechtel, Stephan Lochte-Holtgreven, Ludger Lohaus, Nick Lindschulte, Robert Griese
Abstract: The offshore wind energy is an increasing market in Germany. By 2030 nearly 30 percent of electricity shall be gained by renewables. The offshore wind energy plays a significant role, so that in the next 15 years nearly 30 Gigawatt of electricity shall be installed offshore. Currently, several offshore wind projects are installed in the North and Baltic Sea, but most of the projects are consented and wait for the final 'go'. One 'hot' topic is the question of a reliable connection between the driven piles and the offshore substructures. The grouted joint as a tube-to-tube-connection is typically used for this connection. Due to missing approved national offshore guidelines for the design and construction of grouted joints and the grout materials, an approval in the individual case for the type of construction and the type of material is required. With this procedure, it is assured, that the type of construction is designed in the style of national valid technical guidelines and that the material fulfils national requirements regarding production, installation, and durability. The approval in the individual case consists of a request at the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency which is accompanied by independent expert's reports. Even if approvals in the individual case are not common practice in Europe realized approval processes showed that the quality of the structural design and the reliability of grout materials for offshore structures increase significantly.
Organisation(s): ForWind
External Organisation(s): LPI Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH
Type: Conference contribution
Pages: 1621-1627
No. of pages: 7
Publication date: 2013
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy