Analysis of Tightening Sequence Effects on Preload Behaviour of Offshore Wind Turbine M72 Bolted Connections
Offshore wind turbines in shallow waters are predominantly installed using a monopile foundation, onto which a transition piece and wind turbine are attached. Previously, the monopile to transition piece (MP-TP) connection was made using a grouted connection, however, cases of grout failure causing...
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Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/23/4406 |
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doaj-8a57e374f5ee406f8eae9f2daded80c12020-11-25T02:21:19ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732019-11-011223440610.3390/en12234406en12234406Analysis of Tightening Sequence Effects on Preload Behaviour of Offshore Wind Turbine M72 Bolted ConnectionsJarryd Braithwaite0Ali Mehmanparast1Offshore Renewable Energy Engineering Centre, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire, MK43 0AL, UKOffshore Renewable Energy Engineering Centre, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire, MK43 0AL, UKOffshore wind turbines in shallow waters are predominantly installed using a monopile foundation, onto which a transition piece and wind turbine are attached. Previously, the monopile to transition piece (MP-TP) connection was made using a grouted connection, however, cases of grout failure causing turbine slippage, among other issues, were reported. One solution is to use bolted ring flange connections, which involve using a large number of M72 bolts to provide a firm fixing between the MP-TP. It is in the interest of offshore wind operators to reduce the number of maintenance visits to these wind turbines by maintaining a preload (Fp) level above the minimum requirement for bolted MP-TP connections. The present study focuses on the effect of the tightening sequence on the Fp behaviour of M72 bolted connections. A detailed finite element (FE) model of a seven-bolt, representative segment of a monopile flange was developed with material properties obtained from the available literature. Three analyses were made to examine the effect on Fp after tightening, including the initial Fp level applied to the bolts, the tightening sequence and the effect of an additional tightening pass.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/23/4406preloadtightening sequencebolted connections |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Jarryd Braithwaite Ali Mehmanparast |
spellingShingle |
Jarryd Braithwaite Ali Mehmanparast Analysis of Tightening Sequence Effects on Preload Behaviour of Offshore Wind Turbine M72 Bolted Connections Energies preload tightening sequence bolted connections |
author_facet |
Jarryd Braithwaite Ali Mehmanparast |
author_sort |
Jarryd Braithwaite |
title |
Analysis of Tightening Sequence Effects on Preload Behaviour of Offshore Wind Turbine M72 Bolted Connections |
title_short |
Analysis of Tightening Sequence Effects on Preload Behaviour of Offshore Wind Turbine M72 Bolted Connections |
title_full |
Analysis of Tightening Sequence Effects on Preload Behaviour of Offshore Wind Turbine M72 Bolted Connections |
title_fullStr |
Analysis of Tightening Sequence Effects on Preload Behaviour of Offshore Wind Turbine M72 Bolted Connections |
title_full_unstemmed |
Analysis of Tightening Sequence Effects on Preload Behaviour of Offshore Wind Turbine M72 Bolted Connections |
title_sort |
analysis of tightening sequence effects on preload behaviour of offshore wind turbine m72 bolted connections |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Energies |
issn |
1996-1073 |
publishDate |
2019-11-01 |
description |
Offshore wind turbines in shallow waters are predominantly installed using a monopile foundation, onto which a transition piece and wind turbine are attached. Previously, the monopile to transition piece (MP-TP) connection was made using a grouted connection, however, cases of grout failure causing turbine slippage, among other issues, were reported. One solution is to use bolted ring flange connections, which involve using a large number of M72 bolts to provide a firm fixing between the MP-TP. It is in the interest of offshore wind operators to reduce the number of maintenance visits to these wind turbines by maintaining a preload (Fp) level above the minimum requirement for bolted MP-TP connections. The present study focuses on the effect of the tightening sequence on the Fp behaviour of M72 bolted connections. A detailed finite element (FE) model of a seven-bolt, representative segment of a monopile flange was developed with material properties obtained from the available literature. Three analyses were made to examine the effect on Fp after tightening, including the initial Fp level applied to the bolts, the tightening sequence and the effect of an additional tightening pass. |
topic |
preload tightening sequence bolted connections |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/23/4406 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT jarrydbraithwaite analysisoftighteningsequenceeffectsonpreloadbehaviourofoffshorewindturbinem72boltedconnections AT alimehmanparast analysisoftighteningsequenceeffectsonpreloadbehaviourofoffshorewindturbinem72boltedconnections |
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