IIW History 1990-2015

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. 9 The contribution of national welding organisations, which are members of IIW, are critical to the success of such enterprises.

Volker Schöppner

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’. 10 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. 11

MEETING CHALLENGE – THE WAY AHEAD