Sea mussels to inspire offshore wind farm solutions

The team is investigating how sea mussels grip onto wet rocks using collagen-rich sticky threads, ending in adhesive pads known as plaques. It is hoped that the findings will provide insight into how best to anchor the floating foundations of an offshore wind farm to the sea bed.

Engineers are yet to find a reliable way to fix cables from the foundation into the ground in a system that can withstand the weight of turbines and the forces of rough oceans and high winds.

Researchers believe that the design principles of the mussels’ multiple thread-plaque system could inspire new ways to securely join dissimilar man-made materials, preventing them from pulling apart when subjected to stress and weight.

“Mussels can achieve a steadfast grip on pretty much any material surface even while being pounded by the sea,” said Nottingham University’s professor Tao Liu, project leader. “Their adhesive pads demonstrate an incredible load-bearing capacity, and the stiffness and the surface texture pattern of the material they stick to play important roles in that behaviour.”