Foundation Structural and Anchor Bolt Health; Practical application of Inspection, Testing, and Monitoring
(Room Windsor Complex)
27 Feb 18
11:30 AM
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12:00 PM
“Foundation Structural and Anchor Bolt Health; Practical application of Inspection, Testing, and Monitoring”. Presenter: Jesse Tarr, CEO “Wind Secure” Gary Garcia, Sr. Technical Specialist “NextEra Energy Resources” As Wind Turbine Fleets age, more O.E.M., Financing, and Insurance Co. scrutiny is being focused on the health and longevity of support structures with a heightened emphasis on the foundations and tower anchoring systems. Re-powering is in full swing and bigger blades, generators, rotors, etc. are putting bigger demands on the foundations. This is an important stage in wind where up until the present there has been some latitude in the methods and frequency of foundation and anchor bolt assessment and monitoring. Owners can no longer afford not to know the state of the foundations and anchoring systems protecting their fleet. The foundations and anchoring systems are the first and primary line of defense against specific types of catastrophic failure events. This presentation will cover: 1. Types of foundations and anchoring systems. 2. Methods of foundation inspections currently used. 3. Current and future foundation monitoring options. 4. Grout myths, misconceptions and warning signs. 5. Anchor bolt testing and re-tensioning methods, tips and tricks, and an often overlooked condition giving a false reading that could lead to early fatigue and subsequent catastrophic failure. 6. Anchor bolt corrosion; how to quantify it and how to correct it.