New technology offers alternative to welded tubular steel joints

Storage trolleys, racks and other essential warehouse equipment are often constructed using tubular steel lengths that are welded to form strong joints. However, new composite technology is that is being tested in offshore wind turbines as an alternative to welded joints.

Offshore wind turbines are mounted on underwater foundations made from tubular steel that form lattice structures about 1.5 to 2 metres in diameter. To join the steel together is costly and time-consuming; this process involves many metal fabricators that are skilled in complex welding processes.

In 2016, an assistant professor of steel and composite structures at the Netherland’s Technische Universiteit, Marko Pavlovic, invented a composite foundation joint in the same patterns as offshore jacket foundation joints that require no welding. The joints, known as Tree Composite (TC) joints, are made from glass fibre-reinforced plastic and thermoset resin.

The first prototype joints were made in 2017 and have been thoroughly tested over the last few years to assess whether the joints are resistant to stress and corrosion. The testing was successful and, in 2020, the joints were initially certified for use in new wind turbines. It is expected that in 2023, new wind turbines in Europe will use the TC joints.

Warehouse equipment joints do not have to support the large weight of a wind turbine. Their welded joints are strong and reliable enough to cope with weight and stresses in busy warehouses. They are unlikely to be replaced by composite joint technology in the near future.

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