The 497 MW wind farm, located between 13 and 22 kilometers off the coast of Fécamp, France, includes 71 Gravity Based Structures (GBS), each of which will support a 180-meter-high windmill. The project will generate electricity equivalent to the power needs of more than 416,000 homes.

Dextra Fortec couplers and headed bars were supplied to provide the following benefits:

Fortec Couplers

• Used for temporary openings to facilitate the movement of materials and personnel during various stages of construction.
• Acted as concrete wall starter bars to connect with continuation bars.
• Enhanced constructability by supporting climbing formwork, enabling faster GBS building cycles.
• Improved rebar congestion by preventing overlapping splices.

Dextra couplers utilize Parallel Thread technology. The same couplers are used for both standard connections (when the continuation bar can be rotated) and position connections (when neither bar can be rotated). For the Fécamp project, the site was equipped with threading equipment sets.

Headed Bars

• Improved buildability and on-site productivity by reducing rebar congestion and the steel-to-concrete ratio.
• Served as shear wall cross ties, offering an alternative to rebar with hooked anchorage.
• Suitable for sequenced concrete pours and seismic design.
• Quick to install, reducing labor and crane time.
• The head can be removed for easier rebar positional adjustments.
• Enhanced concrete compaction and surface quality, minimizing honeycombing.

Dextra headed bars were used as an efficient solution for the vertical reinforcement of the foundation. They serve as an excellent alternative to standard hooked bars, which are challenging to install, especially when bent on both ends. They also replace the need for a bonded length of straight or bent rebar used for anchorage.

Download the project case study