In Service Inspection of Wind Turbine Bolts

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Back to Core Research Programme AMorph – 4D Printing for Field Morphing Structures Automation of Composite and Hybrid Joining Process Coaxial Wire Additive Manufacturing Processes and In-Line Monitoring Tools Development of Coded Excitation Technique for Non-Metallic Pipes Inspection Development of Digital Twin technology as a demonstrator for real-time integrity assessment of crack growth in tensile specimens Development of Friction Stir Welding (FSW) for Hydrogen Fuel Storage Tanks Development of Leak-Before-Break Hydrogen Storage Composite Pressure Vessels With Polymeric Liner Establishing Assessment Methods for Determining Safe Service Limits of High-Temperature Materials in Extreme Environments Fracture toughness in aggressive environments: effect of crack monitoring techniques on test results In-process detection and non-destructive testing of electron beam weld imperfections Internal Bore Coatings for Applications in Corrosion and Hydrogen Environment Joining of Additively Manufactured Materials Long term behaviour of polymeric liner materials/coatings in hydrogen service Techniques for High Temperature Ultrasonic Inspection of Arc Welding Ultimate Leverage Fund

Project Code: 35601

Start date and planned duration: August 2023, 5 months

Objective

We will have robustly demonstrated that it is possible to monitor to bolt loosening using acousto-ultrasonics
A test bed will have been manufactured to test a variety of bolt types, this can be used for future bolt tests
Have the opportunity to demonstrate a new method to customers to generate sales

Project Outline

During installation of an offshore wind turbine, upwards of 1000 bolts are used to secure both the tower section and various other component sections in place. On operational wind turbines, approximately 10% of bolts at key bolted connections are checked annually to monitor for loss of tension. This is a very costly process in terms of both asset downtime and labour.

This project will investigate the use of cost effective piezo-ceramic sensors using a pitch-catch method, to be used to detect variation in force in the bolts. These sensors can be left in-situ to perform regular inspections on a bolt in order to detect any drop in propagation, which would indicate loosening of the bolt.

Industry Sectors

- Renewable Energy

- Power

- Aerospace

- Defence

- Transport

- Oil and Gas

Benefits to Industry

Application of this method to an in-service wind turbine will remove the need for manual testing of the bolts. This will not only lead to a direct saving in person-hours but also increase efficiency and profit by reduction in downtime.