WinConFat research project

Project title: WinConFat – Material fatigue of onshore and offshore wind turbines made of reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete under highly cyclic loading

Summary:

The overall WinConFat research project aims to experimentally determine and scientifically describe the influences on concrete, reinforcing steel and composite fatigue. These investigations are being carried out by a network of six universities and the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing and are being centrally coordinated by the Institute of Concrete and Masonry Structures at Leibniz Universität Hannover.

Together with the results of the overall WinConFat research project, the results of the sub-project carried out by the Institute of Concrete and Masonry Structures enable the further development of the currently valid standardization and thus a significantly more economical design of wind turbines made of reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete in the fatigue limit state. This is initially done by the DAfStb by drawing up a “Guideline for the design of wind turbines made of reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete against fatigue”. Due to the authorization of the DAfStb as a regulatory body, the implementation of the results in a technical rule and its introduction by the building authorities can be expected immediately after the end of the project. It can also be assumed that the findings will be incorporated into European standards and regulations in the medium term. In addition, a more realistic assessment of the remaining service life of existing load-bearing structures is possible.