Load History of Offshore Monopile Foundation Screws

The Offshore platform FINO3 was established for research reasons in the North Sea close to the island Helgoland. It is a monopile construction. The topsite is  mounted on its foundation by 64 screws in the flanges. Long term in situ measurements are prepared to determine the strains in the flange screws. Therefore, the joint is equipped with four screws around the circumference, each having an eroded center blind hole hosting an axial and non-plane strain gauge. The strain gauges were applied, tested and calibrated in the Lab.