GOTWind – Good bOlTs for Wind turbines

GOTWind is an interdisciplinary collaborative effort aiming at increasing the reliability of large diameter high strength steel bolts in wind turbines from production until end-of-life. About a quarter of registered failures in Danish wind turbines are associated with bolted joints, and these are often related to catastrophic failures, such as complete turbine collapse or detached blades.

GOTWind is dedicated to tackle the wind turbine failure rate in order to reduce costs and to improve the health and safety of personnel working in and around the turbine as well as on nearby public roads and residential areas.

Furthermore, the project aims at alleviating the carbon footprint through facilitating improved quality assessment procedures for used bolts in favour of promoting bolt reuse.

The project secures its objectives through implementation of a more robust and reliable bolt lubricant, novel improved bolt installation procedures, and new reliable and operator-friendly ultrasonic measurement equipment. Developments of the latter ensure the correct installation of bolts and form the basis for non-destructive defect characterisation methods essential for establishing bolt reuse.