NIMBUS

Project goal:

The aim of NIMBUS is to shift the wear limits of sheet piling in German seaports over time in a cost- and resource-efficient manner in order to sustainably strengthen the competitive position of the German port industry by potentially extending the service life. 

Objectives:

Niedersachsen Ports GmbH & Co. KG maintains around 28 km of transshipment quays and 12 km of sheet piling at 15 port locations, which represent a significant asset and whose service life is limited by corrosive wall thickness losses. As a result, many of these structures do not reach their planned service life of 50 to 80 years, as corrosion-related damage occurs unevenly and with widely varying intensity. The reduced usability leads to safety risks and operational failures on the affected quays.

In the NIMBUS project, general and environment-specific damage mechanisms are to be analysed and defined in order to predict more precise corrosion rates for a more exact (remaining) service life of serviceability and stability and to prioritize optimal repair times. Based on this, innovative coating and repair processes are to be designed and tested.

Tasks of the CML:

The CML is responsible for the scientific coordination of the project. In addition, CML employees are conducting studies on the influence of local fauna at selected port locations in order to examine the possibility of new bionic coating systems against corrosion.

Project consortium:

Niedersachsen Ports GmbH & Co. KG, Fraunhofer LBF, Fraunhofer IGCV and Fraunhofer CML.

NIMBUS is funded in the IHATEC - Innovative Port Technologies program by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport BMDV.