Tower does not stand Hardening
The first supposition has been confirmed: A material defect in the lower segment of the steel tower is apparently the cause for the fact that on Wednesday an anew established wind strength arrangement has fallen down in the wind park "Schneebergerhof" near "Kriegsfeld". According to the manufacturing firm Vestas a supplier has produced faulty parts.

Cause for tipped over wind mill is a material defect by connection.
The steel colossus which tipped over in the wind park Schneebergerhof near KRIEGSFELD during his testing operation is 315 metric tons.
From our editorial staff member Christopher Belz
The 315 metric tons steel colossus lies on the ground as tipped over. The tower of the wind mill is separated flatly from the concrete foundation from which still the cable connections rise. “Presumably a damage to the material in the foundation“ had supposed Andreas Eichler, speaker of the manufacturing firm Vestas, on Wednesday. Yesterday he specified his information. The defect apparently lies in the connection between tower and foundation. “In the foundation a steel ring is let on which the wind mill is fixed“, said Eichler. “In this flange a material defect has appeared.“

According to the Vestas speaker it got in the production apparently to aerial inclusions in the steel. Parts of the fallen windmill near KRIEGSFELD - it carries the type name "Vestas V80" - have already been taken away. Now they are examined by experts. The tower connection which is let in the foundation gets Vestas of several suppliers. The defective part belongs according to Eichler to a load of "six or seven" pieces which the enterprise has received from one of his suppliers. “ Up to now only just one of these elements has been inserted “, says Eichler - the remainder still lies in Denmark, the family seat of the enterprise group Vestas. Who has delivered the defective part, the speaker wanted to make no information for this.

Now full of suspense the question might become who arises for the damage which is estimated at about two million euros. The fallen wind mill was established for operator's company Juwi. However, it was not handed over yet, was still in the property of Vestas. Now it is uncertain whether one could have noted the material defect already with the construction or by the decrease of the foundation. However, Eichler admitted that an aerial inclusion is in the steel “from the outside is hardly recognizably“. He does not see an occasion to test now all Vestas-wind mills for their stability. “We assume from the fact that our suppliers check the quality of their products. “Besides, according to Eichler, every arrangement is tested, before it goes to operation. Also the arrangement near KRIEGSFELD ran at the time of the accident in test operation. Besides, the charges which can appear with high wind speeds are simulated. It is problematic especially that the windmill starts to swing with certain frequency. This is a hardening for the material