C1 Connections B.V. has received DNV certification for its C1 Wedge Connection™, a high-capacity, low-maintenance connection that can be used both in off- and onshore wind turbines as an alternative to bolted flange connections currently used in tubular steel wind turbine towers and foundations.
As part of the certification process C1 Connections -together with Delft University of Technology– has performed thousands of hours of fatigue segment testing, several ultimate capacity tests and elaborate FE-analyses. Also, the production and installation of the C1 Wedge Connection™ was tested at full-scale.
The development of the C1 Wedge Connection™ started in early 2017. Development of this technology has received support by Dutch Government Agency RVO and several industry partners have contributed to further optimization. The technology focuses on highly loaded connections which can be found at monopile-to-transition-piece level and between foundation and tower.
Jasper Winkes, Managing Director of C1 Connections: “Obtaining the DNV certificate is a crucial step in the development of our technology. It is the result of years of work in which the vital aspects of a new technology are addressed – from design and testing to full-scale production. Th industry is becoming increasingly aware of the fact that the bolted connection is reaching its limits for highly loaded structures. The offshore wind industry is clearly looking for an alternative type of connection. The C1 Wedge Connection™ can reduce CAPEX and OPEX while increasing safety and speed. In an ever-growing market these aspects will play an increasingly important role in the next generation of wind farms.
Moving forward C1 Connections will continue optimizing the C1 Wedge Connection™ towards full-scale production for commercial wind farms. Source: C1 Connections
Read also the article in the December edition of Wind Energy Magazine.
