FE-assisted investigation for mechanical behaviour of connections in offshore wind turbine towers

The overall competitiveness of offshore wind turbine towers is significantly influenced by the selection of the connection. The following three types of connections: a conventional bolted ring flange (RF) connection, ring flange connection with defined contact surfaces (RFD), and C1 wedge connection (C1-WC) are considered. A quantitative...

Validation and application of bearing and block tearing resistance: Background to prEN1993-1-8:2021

An investigation of bolted connections with a specific geometry and bolt arrangement that require high local ductility to achieve the predicted resistances according to the design rules of the new prEN 1993-1-8 is presented. The experimental campaign includes tensile and shear tests on mild steel coupons to calibrate the parameters used for the...