Description The current installation method of offshore turbines foundations with jacket involves pumping grout into the annulus between the jacket leg and seabed pile. This process is expensive, time-consuming and grout is a carbon emitting substance. The Advanced Materials Research Laboratory (AMRL) are helping one of their industrial stakeholders in developing a mechanical alternative to grout to be used during the installation: several grippers are placed between the jacket pin and pile. The central components of the gripper were taken to be the gripper and wedge, where the pairing surfaces had to meet the required coefficients of friction (CoF) of 0.8 and 0.2. This was the key performance indicator considered during materials selection; however, in addition to this, the AMRL assessed a combined reduction in cost and weight, along with a leaner manufacturing route.The AMRL has surveyed the suitability of a broad range of materials from widely available stainless steels to more specialised alloys and coatings. The final consideration was given to methods of surface finish modification to achieve the required CoF. Once a review of the literature was completed, several materials combinations were taken forward and the static CoF was measured, this being the main requirement for the mechanical gripper materials. Several machining techniques were also considered as surface finish solutions for controlling the CoF, namely: milling, grinding, polishing and lapping. All materials and surface finishes were readily available in the open market and in commercial workshops, being extensively used in the Oil & Gas industry.This project covers the next phase of the programme and will involve subjecting the provisionally selected materials to a comprehensive testing programme to assess their mechanical integrity in aggressive environments. Key Objectives Understand the interaction between the gripper and the wedge, and explore the gripper and wedge materials with respect to the operational constraints of the non-grouted connect systemsUnderstand how the static CoF is determined by the material combinations, their surface finish and the applied loadAnalyse the material combinations and application of potential surface finishes combined with measurement of efficacy over a prolonged period of timeImplement surface modifications in the gripper and wedge design specifications to achieve desired CoFAssess the effect of the applied load on the static CoF for the selected materials combinationsSubject the selected materials to testing in a hostile environment (e.g. saline solution with and without grit)Assess the effect of applied testing conditions on the materials by characterising their surfaces using optical and scanning electron microscopy.