Optimisation and hybrid manufacturing of modular nodes in jacket structures using WAAM (B07*)

• Subject Area: Structural Engineering, Building Informatics and Construction Operation
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 434502799

B07 aims to improve the fatigue performance of jacket nodes as critical details influencing the overall lifetime of the jacket, using wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). A hybrid manufacturing approach comprising WAAM onto the main conventionally-made tube will be used. Furthermore, an optimisation framework for the geometry of the nodes will be established and validated. Surface qualities and residual stresses will be incorporated into the fatigue assessment of hybrid-manufactured nodes. The validated optimisation process will be deployed to optimise all nodes of the jacket support structure using realistic loading conditions obtained from other sub-projects. Eventually, the optimised nodes will be implemented in the digital twin software.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1463: Integrated Design and Operation Methodology for Offshore Megastructures
• Major Instrumentation: Portable sin2ψ XRD device, 171.3 EA
• Instrumentation Group: 4011 Pulverdiffraktometer
• Applicant Institution: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover
• Project Heads: Dr.-Ing. Mareike Collmann; Professor Dr. Elyas Ghafoori