42 fischer SensorBolts are being used in pilot operation on the DolWin alpha offshore converter platform and associated helicopter deck in the North Sea. The aim is to conduct long-term testing of the products under maritime conditions – a highly corrosive environment – to increase the efficiency of the converter platform's maintenance.
Made from M16 made of stainless steel, the 42 SensorBolts were installed on the gussets of the platform's helicopter deck. They are also equipped with the new SensorNode product, which securely transmits the data from the SensorBolt to the associated gateway. From there, the measured values are sent end-to-end encrypted to a Cloud storage facility and made available via a customer-specific dashboard.
"The aim of the pilot installation of our SensorBolts on the helicopter deck of the DolWin alpha converter platform is to conduct long-term testing of the products under maritime conditions," says Dr. Daniel Rill, product manager construction monitoring at the fischer Group. "With the project, we intend to demonstrate the suitability of our SensorBolts and SensorNodes for long-term remote monitoring of stainless steel screws and to collect the necessary data for this."
The helicopter deck on the top level of the DolWin alpha converter platform, at a height of 57m, is subject to a strict and costly maintenance cycle. Normally, the mandatory inspection requires the transfer of personnel to the remote location of the platform and manual work to regularly check the fastenings. "If our Construction Monitoring System can be established as a supplement or even a replacement for conventional maintenance procedures, the maintenance effort will be reduced enormously in the future," emphasises Matthias Schneider, managing director of digital services and IT at the fischer Group. "The direct monitoring of the screw preload using sensor technology allows for significant time and cost savings. In general, this can greatly increase the efficiency of maintaining and operating the system, increase its safety, reduce downtime and extend its service life."
The SensorBolt is the new addition to the fischer Construction Monitoring portfolio with sensor-integrated fischer products, which also include the SensorAnchor anchor rod and the SensorDisc washer. The innovative range makes it possible to monitor the condition of the fastening points remotely at any time. This is particularly advantageous for fastening points that are difficult to reach, as is the case with offshore wind farms.
To ensure that the results are as meaningful as possible, the fischer Construction Monitoring experts and the engineers from fischer Construction Engineering GmbH, together with TenneT, the German transmission system operator, defined a distribution pattern for the SensorBolts on the gusset plates of the helicopter deck based on the structural data. Controlled laboratory tests showed that the SensorBolts system previously used for high-strength screws can also be used for stainless steel screws equipped with measurement technology without losing any of their technical capabilities.
The fischer Construction Monitoring experts accompanied the installation and commissioning of the SensorBolts on the converter platform on site, which was carried out by Hemmerschütz Solution GmbH. "This allowed us to test and observe the assembly and installation of the system under real practical conditions," says Matthias Fortenbacher, hardware expert and development lead engineer construction monitoring at the fischer Group. "The result: Like all products in the Construction Monitoring range, the SensorBolts enable particularly simple and quick installation and commissioning also runs smoothly."
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