The Test Center for Structural Systems in Hanover (TTH), part of the ForWind research infrastructure network, is receiving a grant of approximately 11.6 million euros from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). The funding will enable the comprehensive modernization and expansion of the large-scale infrastructure at Leibniz University Hannover—in close cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems (IWES).
Since 2014, the TTH has been conducting experimental research on support structures and foundation elements for wind turbines. The unique geotechnical test pit and a 3D cantilever span enable large-scale experiments on onshore and offshore support structures. The results are used to validate computational models, optimize structures, and improve their structural safety. ““This success is the result of close collaboration between the TTH team and our faculty—with the support of the university—and demonstrates the trust that the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy places in LUH as a long-established and successful center for wind energy research,” notes Prof. Dr. sc. ETH Elyas Ghafoori, Executive Director of the TTH and a member of ForWind, emphasizes.
With this new funding phase, the TTH is responding to the wind energy industry’s increased testing requirements: Plans include, among other things, a semi-automated foundation test pit for testing layered soils and high bearing densities, as well as new testing technology for higher loads. A new facility is being built to provide additional testing capabilities for loads of up to 10 meganewtons using state-of-the-art measurement technology—a response to the continuous increase in the size of wind turbines.
“We look back on 12 years of exciting research using unique large-scale testing technology, funded entirely by third-party grants, and look forward to new challenges,” says Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Raimund Rolfes, co-founder of the TTH, co-initiator of ForWind, and director of the Institute for Statics and Dynamics.
Five institutes from the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geodesy at Leibniz University Hannover are involved in the TTH. In addition to the Structural Engineering Department of Fraunhofer IWES, the ForWind Hannover coordination office is also located there. This makes the TTH a central hub for wind energy research in Hannover-Marienwerder, where other outstanding research institutions—such as the Coastal Research Center and the Large Wave Flume—are also located.
