| Abstract: | Grouted Joint Connections of Monopile Support Structures – Structural and Fatigue Behaviour. This paper summarises the state of the art for grouted connections of support structures of Offshore Wind Energy Converters (OWECs). Results of numerical and experimental investigations of small and large scale tests of grouted joints which have been carried out within the research project “ForWind – TP V: Fatigue Assessment of Support Structures of Offshore Wind Energy Conversion Systems” at the Institute for Steel Construction, Leibniz Universität Hannover are presented. Furthermore the results of the numerical and experimental investigations are used for an exemplary calculation of a grouted joint connection of an OWEC located in the Baltic Sea. Besides the analysis of grouted joints with plain pipes the effects of an increased mechanical interlock due to shear keys on the fatigue design of grouted connections is demonstrated and fatigue classes for shear keys are presented. |
