TRAXX, a France-based company, has developed the TRAXX-M2 solution, which accurately measures bolt tension in wind turbines, as well as in many other fields, using ultrasonic sensors and software analysis to help maintain the correct load and tightening of bolted assemblies. The TRAXX-M2 solution can also digitally track individual bolts throughout their lifetime, helping ensure that each bolt remains at its optimal tension over the long term.
Guaranteed Safety and Reliability
Although essential to product safety and reliability, correct bolt tension is difficult to achieve using traditional torque-based methods. And, as wind turbines continue to grow in size, it is more important than ever to maintain the integrity of the bolted joints in these structures. A wind turbine consists of thousands of bolts of different sizes, making correct bolt tensioning crucial. A single loose bolt can trigger a domino effect that, in the worst case, could lead to the failure of the entire turbine.
Ultrasonic bolt load measurement
The TRAXX-M2 system measures the length of the bolt as it elongates in response to the application of the tightening tension. These values are converted into accurate clamping force. During the bolt tensioning process of the assembly, the operator observes the data live on the screen and stops applying the load once the desired tension is reached. Once in service, the measurement of the bolt tension is possible without needing to loosen the bolts. This is because the system uses ultrasonic and mechanical length measurements, as well as information about the material properties of the bolt batch. By combining these three values, it is possible to measure and calculate the actual clamping force.
Exceptional Accuracy
Accurate to within 3%, TRAXX’s R&D department claims that the TRAXX-M2 system offers a superior advantage over torque methods, for which the error tolerance can be as much as 50%. Compared to existing measurement solutions, the TRAXX-M2 can be implemented at a fraction of the cost and used directly on standard bolts.
Complete Bolt Traceability
The TRAXX-M2 system can be used when installing new bolts and when evaluating existing bolts — as part of determining the lifespan of wind turbines. As part of the full TRAXX-M2 system, a unique traceability tag is added to each bolt, supporting pre-failure diagnosis and traceability, including the location of each bolt, as well as its service and maintenance schedule. No pretreatment of the bolts is required.
