Viktor Widerspan talks about large scale Buckling tests on tower segments

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Hi Viktor, could you give us a brief introduction into the new light-weight tower concept you will talk about in your presentation?

In a publicly funded scientific joint project with an industrial partner the research was carried out on steel towers made of longitudinally braced panels. By longitudinally connecting the panels, the base diameter and correspondingly the height could be made larger than with conventional steel towers. The final report on the project was published some time ago. The details can be read there.

What will our attendees uncover about large scale buckling tests in your presentation that they might not know?

As part of this project, we carried out a series of buckling tests. Most of the tests were also modeled with finite elements. According to Eurocode 3-1 finite elements models, if used for buckling design of steel structures, should be validated with tests. Since buckling tests are rare on large steel structures, our experiences may be interesting for designers.

Where do you see the industry growing into in 5 years from now?

About wind energy's growth internationally, I'm optimistic. For support structures, I expect greater heights and diameters, further automatization in fabrication, some reductions in wall thickness and maybe the active damping systems, that will be required as a result. Unfortunately, I can't see any growth of industry in Germany. It will be interesting to see how, under these circumstances, the ambitious political expansion goals can be achieved.

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