Fan tower flange anti-hanging structure

Abstract

The utility model belongs to the technical field of fan tower drum, relate to a fan tower drum flange prevent hanging structure, include: flange plate, wrap piece and fixed part, the wrap piece is wrapped in the convex structure of flange plate, the fixed part will wrap piece fixed on flange plate. To protect the safety of staff in the flange plate, prevent the safety belt from hanging on the flange, reduce the hidden danger, improve the operation safety.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of wind turbine tower technology, and specifically relates to a wind turbine tower flange anti-snagging structure. Background Technology

[0002] As the global energy structure shifts towards cleaner and lower-carbon energy, wind power, as a core industry in the renewable energy sector, continues to expand in terms of installed capacity and turbine scale. The wind turbine tower, as a key structure supporting the nacelle and rotor, requires internal operations after installation. Workers must perform a series of core tasks inside the tower, including equipment commissioning, cable laying, and maintenance, to ensure the stable operation of the unit. However, the working environment inside the tower is unique, with high vertical height and a relatively enclosed space. Worker movement and safety depend on protective equipment such as safety belts, and the potential safety hazards inherent in the tower flange structure have become a critical issue threatening the lives of workers and operational efficiency.

[0003] In the structural design of wind turbine towers, flanges are the core components connecting different tower sections. They are secured with bolts to ensure the overall structural strength and stability of the tower. Due to factors such as manufacturing processes, installation precision, and long-term operation and maintenance, tower flange edges often exhibit protruding bolt heads, uneven welds, sharp metal burrs, or localized structural protrusions. While these protrusions or sharp structures do not affect the overall load-bearing capacity of the tower, they pose potential risks to workers. When workers move along ladders inside the tower, transfer tools between platforms, or perform high-altitude operations, their safety belts (including safety ropes, hooks, and other components) are highly susceptible to snagging or entanglement with these protruding structures on the flange edges. This snagging phenomenon can cause multiple safety accidents: First, when workers are moving normally, if the safety belt gets caught on the flange protrusion, it will obstruct their movement. If they forcibly pull or break free, it may damage the integrity of the safety belt or cause them to lose their balance and fall. Especially in high-altitude work scenarios, falls can easily cause serious personal injury. Second, if the safety belt hook rubs against the sharp flange structure, it may cause the safety rope to wear and break, directly losing its protective function and posing a fatal threat to the worker's life. Third, during the snagging process, the violent pulling between the safety belt and the flange may cause the tools in the worker's hands to fall, which may not only damage the equipment but also injure workers below, creating a secondary safety hazard.

[0004] Currently, the industry mostly employs temporary measures for safety protection of tower flange edges. These include having workers manually sand the sharp edges of the flange before work begins, or simply wrapping the protruding bolt heads with tape or protective cotton. However, these measures have significant limitations: firstly, sanding relies on manual labor, making it difficult to cover all flange edges, and the sanding precision cannot be standardized, potentially leaving sharp edges; secondly, protective materials such as tape and protective cotton have poor adhesion and are prone to falling off in the humid environment inside the tower or during worker movement, failing to provide long-term stable protection. Furthermore, these materials need to be repeated before each operation, increasing preparation time and labor costs.

[0005] Currently, there is no specific protective structure designed for the flange edges of wind turbine towers that provides long-term stable protection and is suitable for the tower's working environment, thus failing to fundamentally solve the safety hazard of safety belt snagging. As the capacity of individual wind turbine units continues to increase, and tower height and diameter continue to rise, the risks for workers operating inside the tower further increase, making the need for flange edge safety protection increasingly urgent. Therefore, developing a protective technology that can effectively cover protruding and sharp flange edges, is easy to install, and provides stable protection has become a key requirement for ensuring the safety of operations inside wind turbine towers and improving operational efficiency, and is of great significance for promoting safe operation and maintenance in the wind power industry. Utility Model Content

[0006] To address the aforementioned problems, this utility model proposes a wind turbine tower flange anti-snagging structure, comprising: a flange, a wrapping component, and a fixing component. The wrapping component wraps around the protruding structure of the flange, and the fixing component secures the wrapping component to the flange.

[0007] Optionally, the package has a package groove, the flange's protruding structure is located within the package groove, and both sides of the flange are within the package groove, with the fastener passing through the package and the flange.

[0008] Optionally, the package can be a U-shaped or concave structure.

[0009] Optionally, the inner circumferential surface of the package facing the flange is a smooth plane.

[0010] Optionally, the wrapping groove has an inverted trapezoidal structure.

[0011] Optionally, the fastener includes a plurality of bolts and a soft pad, the soft pad being laid on the outer wall of the package, and each bolt passing through the soft pad, the package, and the flange and connected to the package at the end away from the bolt.

[0012] Optionally, it may also include a plurality of nuts, with a gap between one side of the package and one side of the flange, each nut being disposed within the gap and threadedly connected to the corresponding bolt.

[0013] Optionally, the flange has gaps between its protruding structures, and the fastener passes through the flange within the corresponding gaps.

[0014] Optionally, a plurality of clamping plates are provided in the packaging groove, and each clamping plate is engaged with a corresponding bolt.

[0015] Optionally, a plurality of screw holes are provided on one inner sidewall of the wrapping groove, and a corresponding guide block is provided between adjacent screw holes. The guide block is located at the end of the fastener. When the guide block is engaged with the fixing hole on the flange, the wrapping groove is raised relative to the flange until the screw hole on the guide block is coaxial with the fixing hole.

[0016] This utility model's wind turbine tower flange anti-snagging structure completely encloses the flange's protruding structure with a wrapping component, and fixes the wrapping component to the flange with a fixing component, thereby protecting the safety of workers inside the flange, preventing safety belts from getting caught on the flange, reducing safety hazards, and improving operational safety.

[0017] Other features and advantages of this invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and will be apparent in part from the description, or may be learned by practicing the invention. The objects and other advantages of this invention can be realized and obtained by means of the structures pointed out in the description, claims, and drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This shows an overall schematic diagram of the anti-snagging structure for the wind turbine tower flange in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This shows an internal schematic diagram of the anti-snagging structure for the wind turbine tower flange in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This invention provides a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the anti-snagging structure of the wind turbine tower flange in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 The front view of the package of the anti-snagging structure for the wind turbine tower flange in an embodiment of this utility model is shown.

[0020] In the diagram, 1 is the flange; 10 is the raised structure; 2 is the package; 21 is the clamping plate; 22 is the guide block; 23 is the screw hole; 24 is the guide rail; 3 is the fastener; 31 is the bolt; 32 is the soft pad; and 33 is the nut. Detailed Implementation

[0021] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this utility model clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this utility model, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of this utility model.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown, a wind turbine tower flange anti-snagging structure includes: a flange 1, a wrapping component 2, and a fixing component 3. The wrapping component 2 wraps around the raised structure 10 of the flange 1, and the fixing component 3 secures the wrapping component 2 to the flange 1. This protects the safety of personnel inside the flange 1, prevents safety belts from snagging on the flange, reduces safety hazards, and improves operational safety. This solution, through a "wrap protection + precise fixing" design, utilizes the bolt holes 31 on the flange 1 itself for assembly without damaging the original tower structure, balancing protective effect and ease of installation. It should be noted that the wrapping component 2 is made entirely of soft, wear-resistant materials (such as neoprene rubber or high-density polyurethane), possessing both flexibility and tear resistance, preventing hard contact with the worker's body or safety belt. The main frame of the flange 1 is made of high-strength aluminum alloy or lightweight steel, possessing high strength and rigidity while being lightweight, facilitating installation and operation. The wrapping component 2 can also be made of glass fiber reinforced epoxy resin composite material, which combines the advantages of lightweight (30% lower density than rubber), aging resistance (5-8 years longer service life than rubber), and low-temperature toughness (no brittleness at -30℃). The surface of its inner wrapping groove is still sandblasted and polished to ensure a smooth inner ring surface (Ra≤1.6μm). The soft pad 32 of the fastener 3 is replaced with a silicone pad to improve weather resistance. Its advantage lies in its suitability for wind turbine towers in harsh environments such as coastal areas and high altitudes, eliminating the need for frequent replacement of the wrapping component 2 and reducing operation and maintenance costs. Through differentiated structures, fixing methods, and material selections of the wrapping component 2, it can be adapted to different protrusion shapes and usage environments of the United Power 2MW wind turbine tower flange 1, achieving the core protective effect of "eliminating seat belt snagging and avoiding body impact." Moreover, during assembly, the original bolt holes 31 of the tower are utilized, eliminating the need for additional processing of the flange 1, and featuring convenient installation and strong compatibility.

[0023] like Figure 3 As shown, in one embodiment, the package 2 has a package groove, such as Figure 2 As shown, the raised structure 10 of the flange 1 is located within the wrapping groove, and both sides of the flange 1 are within the wrapping groove. The fastener 3 passes through the wrapping part 2 and the flange 1. It should be noted that the wrapping part 2 is a U-shaped or concave structure, and its inner side forms a wrapping groove for the raised structure 10. The cross-section of the wrapping groove is an inverted trapezoidal structure. The width of the upper groove is adapted to the top width of the raised structure 10 (20-30mm), the width of the lower groove is slightly larger than the bottom width of the raised structure 10 (30-40mm), and the groove depth is equal to the height of the raised structure 10 (5-15mm). This ensures that the raised structure 10 is completely embedded in the wrapping groove, and both sides of the flange 1 extend into the interior of the wrapping groove 210 (covering a width of 5-8mm), with no raised structure 10 exposed.

[0024] like Figure 3 As shown, in one embodiment, the inner circumferential surface of the package 2 facing the flange 1 is a smooth plane. Specifically, the surface roughness Ra of the smooth plane of the package 2 is ≤1.6μm, eliminating the risk of snagging the safety belt; through holes corresponding to the mounting holes of the flange 1 are provided on both side walls of the package 2 (the hole diameter is 1-2mm larger than the diameter of the bolt 31 for easy assembly).

[0025] like Figure 1 As shown, in one embodiment, the fastener 3 includes multiple bolts 31 and a soft pad 32. The soft pad 32 is laid on the outer wall of the package 2. Each bolt 31 passes through the soft pad 32, the package 2, and the flange 1 and is screwed to the end of the package 2 away from the bolt 31. It should be noted that the bolts 31 are high-strength bolts 31 of the same specification as the original bolts 31 of the tower (such as 8.8 grade M20 bolts) to ensure compatibility with the mounting holes of the flange 1. The soft pad 32 is a nitrile rubber pad with a thickness of 2-3 mm, laid on the outer wall of the package 2 (and the side away from the flange 1), and its surface has clearance holes aligned with the through holes to prevent the package 2 from being scratched when the bolts 31 are tightened.

[0026] In one embodiment, a plurality of nuts 33 are also included, with a gap between one side of the package 2 and one side of the flange 1. Each nut 33 is disposed within the gap and threadedly connected to a corresponding bolt 31. Optionally, the nut 33 is a hexagonal nut 33 that matches the bolt 31, and is pre-installed on the side of the package 2 away from or near the bolt 31 (or on the other side of the flange 1). The gap facilitates disassembly or replacement.

[0027] In one embodiment, there are gaps between the protruding structures 10 of the flange 1, and the fastener 3 passes through the flange 1 within the corresponding gaps. These gaps facilitate the accommodation and securing of multiple bolts 31. Furthermore, this reduces the overall weight of the flange 1 while maintaining sufficient strength.

[0028] like Figure 4 As shown, in one embodiment, a plurality of clamping plates 21 are provided within the wrapping groove, each clamping plate 21 cooperating with a corresponding bolt 31. Optionally, the clamping plate 21 has a wrap-around structure, and a rubber gasket is provided within the wrap-around structure to prevent scratches on the flange surface during clamping. The plurality of clamping plates 21 are arranged along the circumferential direction of the wrapping groove.

[0029] like Figure 3 As shown, in one embodiment, a plurality of screw holes 23 are provided on one inner sidewall of the wrapping groove, and corresponding guide blocks 22 are provided between adjacent screw holes 23. The guide blocks 22 are located at the end of the fixing member 3. When the guide blocks 22 engage with the fixing holes on the flange 1, the wrapping groove tilts up relative to the flange 1 until the screw holes 23 on the guide blocks 22 are coaxial with the fixing holes. The guide blocks 22 allow for quick adjustment of the corresponding positions of the flange 1 and the wrapping member 2, ensuring that their corresponding holes are aligned, thus facilitating the fixing connection of the bolts 31 in the fixing member 3. When misaligned, the wrapping groove tilts up relative to the flange 1 when the guide blocks 22 engage with the fixing holes on the flange 1. When aligned, the screw holes 23 on the guide blocks 22 are coaxial with the fixing holes, meaning the screw holes 23 and fixing holes coincide, and the wrapping groove does not tilt up relative to the flange 1. Furthermore, as... Figure 4 As shown, a guide rail 24 is provided on the other inner wall of the packaging groove, that is, the guide rail 24 is on the opposite side of the guide block 22. The guide rail 24 is to hook the package 2 onto the flange 1 and to facilitate the adjustment of the position of the package 2 at any time, and to facilitate the adjustment of whether the screw hole 23 and the fixing hole on the guide block 22 are coaxial.

[0030] Assembly process of this structure: Align the wrapping groove of the wrapping component 2 with the protruding structure 10 of the flange 1, so that the through hole of the wrapping component 2 is fully aligned with the fixing hole of the flange 1, ensuring that the protruding structure 10 is fully embedded in the wrapping groove and that the inner ring surface faces the working area inside the tower.

[0031] Soft pad 32 installation: Cover the outer wall of the package 2 with soft pad 32, so that the clearance hole on the soft pad 32 is aligned with the through hole, so as to avoid the soft pad 32 from blocking the hole.

[0032] Bolt 31 tightening: Pass the bolt 31 sequentially through the clearance hole of the soft pad 32, the through hole of the wrapping 2, and the fixing hole of the nut 33 and the flange 1 until the end of the bolt 31 contacts the other pre-set nut 33; use a torque wrench to tighten the bolt 31 to the specified torque, so that the wrapping 2 fits tightly against the protruding structure 10, while the soft pad 32 is compressed to form a buffer and prevent the wrapping 2 from deforming due to excessive compression.

[0033] In summary, when workers are working inside the tower (such as climbing up and down ladders or operating at heights), their bodies or safety belts will only come into contact with the smooth inner ring surface of the wrapping 2 when they come into contact with the edge of the flange 1. On the one hand, the soft wrapping 2 can prevent workers' bodies from making hard contact with the protruding structure 10 of the flange 1, thus preventing injuries. On the other hand, the smooth inner ring surface eliminates the risk of the safety belt getting caught. Even if the workers move quickly, the safety belt can slide smoothly along the inner ring surface and will not be tangled or caught by the protruding structure 10, thereby reducing the safety hazards of falls and equipment damage.

[0034] Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fan tower flange anti-hanging structure, characterized in that, include: The flange (1), the wrapping (2), and the fastener (3) are provided, wherein the wrapping (2) is wrapped around the raised structure (10) of the flange (1), and the fastener (3) secures the wrapping (2) to the flange (1).

2. The fan tower flange anti-hanging structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The package (2) has a package groove, the protruding structure (10) of the flange (1) is located in the package groove, and both sides of the flange (1) are in the package groove. The fastener (3) passes through the package (2) and the flange (1).

3. The fan tower flange anti-hanging structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The package (2) has a U-shaped structure or a concave structure.

4. The fan tower flange anti-hanging structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner circumferential surface of the package (2) facing the flange (1) is a smooth plane.

5. The fan tower flange anti-hanging structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The packaging groove has an inverted trapezoidal structure.

6. The fan tower flange anti-hanging structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The fastener (3) includes a plurality of bolts (31) and a soft pad (32), the soft pad (32) being laid on the outer wall of the package (2), each bolt (31) passing through the soft pad (32), the package (2) and the flange (1) and connected to the package (2) at the end away from the bolt (31).

7. The fan tower flange anti-hang structure according to claim 6, characterized in that, It also includes a plurality of nuts (33), one side of the package (2) having a gap with one side of the flange (1), each nut (33) being disposed within the gap and threadedly connected to the corresponding bolt (31).

8. The fan tower flange anti-hang structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flange (1) has gaps between the protruding structures (10), and the fastener (3) passes through the flange (1) within the corresponding gaps.

9. The fan tower flange anti-hang structure according to claim 6, characterized in that, Multiple clamping plates (21) are provided in the packaging groove, and each clamping plate (21) is engaged with a corresponding bolt (31).

10. The fan tower flange anti-hang structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, Multiple screw holes (23) are provided on one inner sidewall of the wrapping groove, and corresponding guide blocks (22) are provided between adjacent screw holes (23). The guide block (22) is located at the end of the fastener (3). When the guide block (22) is engaged with the fixing hole on the flange (1), the wrapping groove is raised relative to the flange (1) until the screw hole (23) on the guide block (22) is coaxial with the fixing hole.

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