INDUSCOL
Instrumentation and durability of glued multi-material structures for offshore renewable energy systems
Duration: 50 months (2016 - 2020)
Context
The sustainability of offshore renewable energy structures, for periods of up to 15 years, remains a major challenge to the sector. The manufacture of these structures is often based on combinations of materials assembled with structural bonding. The long-term performance of such hybrid structures (resistance to the marine environment and fatigue) is still unclear and requires more research. This lack of knowledge leads to the use of exaggerated safety factors, or limits the introduction of innovative multi-material structures. It is therefore essential to study the lifespan of these bonded multi-material structures and particularly to in-service monitor the health of the glue seal.
Objective
To gain a full understanding of the behaviour over time of glued multi-material structures in a saturated environment.
Main achievements
- Development and demonstration of instrumentation inside the glue seal and at the glue/substrate interface
- Proposal of analytical models to optimise glued multi-material structures in the marine environment and meet normative requirements
- Updating and development of design and maintenance rules for underwater glued structures
Conclusion
INDUSCOL has improved the understanding of the behaviour of glued multi-material structures as a function of time spent in a humid environment. The project also provided scientific arguments and a state of the art of numerical tools to make a choice regarding the glued multi-material structures and the instrumentation of glue seals. The tools developed during INDUSCOL will allow the design of glue seals in the healthy state as well as in the aged state.
Resources
Partners and funding
This project was led by ENSTA Bretagne and France Energies Marines.
The total project budget was €910K.
This project received funding from France Energies Marines and its members and partners, as well as French State funding managed by the National Research Agency under the Investments for the Future Programme (ANR-10-IEED-0006-08).
Photo crédit: ENSTA Bretagne