TTH 2.0: Future-Ready Infrastructure for the Energy Transition – Holistic and Large-Scale Validation of Onshore and Offshore Support Structures

At a glance

• The dimensions and extreme loads of modern support and foundation structures require experimental validation to reliably ensure the safety, economic viability, and service life of future wind turbines.
• The comprehensive modernization and expansion of the Test Center for Support Structures Hannover (TTH)’s test infrastructure – which has been in operation since 2014 – is intended to lay the technological foundation for the next generation of wind turbines (15 MW+) and provide decisive impetus for the industry’s competitiveness.
• Fraunhofer IWES contributes its expertise in wind energy support structures to the research project. It supports the further development and use of the infrastructure for realistic large-scale tests and promotes the transfer of results to the wind industry, particularly in the development of innovative and practical test concepts for validating wind turbine components.

The challenge

The construction of ever-larger wind turbines (15 MW+) is creating new technical challenges: The support and foundation structures of modern offshore wind turbines are reaching scales that can no longer be tested using the existing testing infrastructure at TTH. For example, the available hydraulic systems can no longer realistically simulate the extreme force vectors and stochastic dynamics.

There is also a lack of methods for creating realistic soil conditions in large-scale tests – such as layered soils or very high bearing densities – which limits the validation of new foundation concepts. Furthermore, the wind industry is demanding increasingly complex, multiaxial test setups with adaptive test control that cannot be provided by the currently available infrastructure.

The solution

The TTH 2.0 research project involves the comprehensive modernization and expansion of the existing test infrastructure. A semi-automated geotechnical test pit with layered soils and very high compaction densities ensures realistic foundation models. The 3D test frame 2.0 enables complex, multiaxial testing requirements through higher test loads and modern control technology. In addition, new preparation areas and facilities are intended to facilitate the handling of large test specimens. Modern resonance and universal testing machines with very high capacity will expand the TTH’s portfolio. Measurement and scanning technology will be modernized and expanded to offer greater accuracy, speed, and data integrity.

The added value

The TTH 2.0 project aims to create a globally unique testing environment for validating load-bearing structures and soil-structure interactions under realistic conditions. This is intended to strengthen the competitiveness and innovative capacity of the German wind energy industry.

Experimental validation of next-generation wind turbines increases operational safety and improves economic efficiency. This will support the expansion of offshore wind energy by 2045 and help meet energy transition targets. On this basis, technology transfer between research and industry will also be promoted.