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MEETING CHALLENGE – THE WAY AHEAD
From a research point of view, experimental work using multi-pass laser welding has
been carried out at TWI in the UK to further the science of welding of thicker metal sections
of wind towers, thereby extending the scope in the manufacture of larger and stronger wind
turbines. Research on a national basis has been carried out by several members of IIW to
improve productivity and increase the uptake of wind farms as an economic alternative to
conventional means of producing electrical power. The depth of knowledge provided through
the work of the many Working Units within the Institute has been of great importance
including, of course, the members of Commission XV
Design, Analysis and Fabrication of
Welded Structures
(C-XV) which comprises experts from several disciplines all critical to
the welding of buildings, bridges and offshore structures.
The work of many of the IIW Working Units has consequently been
paramount in the diffusion of technology to the engineers,
designers and constructors of wind farms that have
increasingly become more vital to the environmental
future of this planet. For instance, the Wikinger
offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea, off Germany,
will produce 350 MW of electricity, enough to supply
350 000 German households and save 500 000 tonnes of
CO
2
per year.
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The contribution of national welding
organisations, which are members of IIW, are critical
to the success of such enterprises.
DVS, as well as associated German research organisations such as the Fraunhofer
Institute, are integral to the continuing progress and efficiency of wind turbines through
targeted research into the design, materials, welding and processes used in the manufacture
of wind farm rotor blades, including hybrid materials and rotor blade coatings. More
recently, polymer joining and adhesive technology with modern hybrid materials and fibre
reinforced plastics have increased in importance and Commission XVI
Polymer Joining
and Adhesive Technology
(C-XVI), chaired by Prof. Dr-Ing. Volker Schöppner (Germany)
is ideally positioned to provide guidance through a forum of the world’s leading scientists
involved in these relatively new spheres of materials joining, as well as to fields other than
wind turbines, such as the aviation industry.
‘Buildings, too’, it was said, ‘are children of the Earth and the Sun’.
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These words
were used by Frank LloydWright, the great American architect, promoting unity of purpose
in the planning of buildings to blend naturally into the environment. The Chrysler Building
in NewYork, USA is an example of this and, at 319 metres tall, still remains supreme as one
of the most beautiful buildings ever built. The Chrysler Building, one must be reminded,
was riveted, not welded. It was constructed from masonry with a steel frame and metal
cladding, reputedly using 391 881 rivets to hold the steel frame together.
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Volker Schöppner