Offshore wind turbine h-beam type force transmission structure

Abstract

The application relates to the offshore wind power generation technical field, in particular to a offshore wind turbine H-beam type force transmission structure. The force transmission structure comprises a main cylinder and a plurality of force transmission structures extending along the main cylinder in a radial direction to be connected to a jacket column. The scheme adopts an open H-beam structure to replace a traditional closed box beam, fundamentally solves the manufacturing and operation and maintenance problems, all welds can be double-welded and comprehensively detected, and the quality dead angle is eliminated; meanwhile, the open surface is also convenient for complete anticorrosion coating and full-life cycle inspection and maintenance, the internal corrosion risk is avoided, and the reliability and long-term durability of the structure are significantly improved. Secondly, the cover plate, the bottom plate and the side plate are segmented and different wall thicknesses are arranged, so that the lightweight design is realized. The design makes the material distribution highly match the actual stress distribution, the steel consumption is effectively reduced under the premise of ensuring safety, and the structure self-weight is significantly reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of offshore wind power generation technology, and in particular to an I-beam type force transmission structure for offshore wind turbines. Background Technology

[0002] In current offshore wind turbine jacket foundations, the industry commonly uses closed box girder structures as the key force-transmitting components connecting the central main cylinder to the surrounding jacket columns. However, this traditional closed structure has the following three significant inherent drawbacks in engineering practice:

[0003] There are potential safety hazards in manufacturing and welding quality: Due to its closed nature, the final "sealing weld" can only be completed using a single-sided welding process, which is difficult to guarantee in terms of quality, and it is impossible to perform non-destructive testing on the inside of the weld after welding. This poses a serious safety hazard to the structure.

[0004] Post-construction maintenance and corrosion prevention are extremely difficult: the enclosed internal space of the structure makes anti-corrosion coating and subsequent inspection and maintenance virtually impossible. In the highly corrosive marine environment, the structure faces the long-term risk of gradual failure due to undetectable internal corrosion.

[0005] Low material utilization and poor economic efficiency: The structure usually uses plates of uniform thickness, but this does not match the uneven stress distribution in the structure, resulting in serious material waste in low stress areas, increasing the structure's self-weight and construction costs.

[0006] In summary, existing closed box girder load-transfer structures have shortcomings in terms of manufacturing, operation and maintenance, and cost. Therefore, the industry urgently needs to develop a new type of load-transfer structure to overcome these deficiencies and achieve higher reliability and better economic efficiency. Utility Model Content

[0007] The purpose of this application is to provide an I-beam type force transmission structure for offshore wind turbines, which solves the problems of existing closed box girder force transmission structures in terms of manufacturing, operation and maintenance and cost.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides an I-beam type force transmission structure for offshore wind turbines, including a main cylinder and multiple force transmission structures extending radially along the main cylinder to connect to the jacket support columns. The force transmission structures are I-beam structures, and the I-beam structures include:

[0009] The cover plate is designed in the shape of an upper flange, with one end connected to the main cylinder and the other end connected to the guide frame column;

[0010] The bottom plate is designed in the shape of a lower flange and is located below the cover plate. One end of the bottom plate is connected to the main cylinder and the other end is connected to the jacket support column.

[0011] Side plates are vertically connected between the cover plate and the bottom plate to form an I-beam structure;

[0012] At least one of the side plate, cover plate and / or bottom plate is divided into at least two sections along the length of the main cylinder to the jacket support column, and the wall thickness of the at least two sections is different.

[0013] Preferably, the plane at which the wall thickness center of the side plate lies is coplanar with the plane determined by the central axis of the main cylinder and the central axis of the connecting guide frame column.

[0014] Preferably, the cover plate is inclined downward in the vertical direction between the main cylinder and the jacket support column.

[0015] Preferably, the wall thickness of the section of the side plate, cover plate and / or bottom plate that is connected to the main cylinder and / or column is greater than the wall thickness of the middle section that is far from the connection position.

[0016] Preferably, it also includes a top reinforcing rib disposed between the outer surface of the main cylinder and the upper surface of the cover plate.

[0017] Preferably, it also includes a bottom plate and a bottom reinforcing rib disposed below the bottom plate and connected between the outer surface of the jacket column and the bottom plate.

[0018] Preferably, the main cylinder is divided into an upper main cylinder and a lower main cylinder in the vertical direction, and the thickness of the upper main cylinder is greater than the thickness of the lower main cylinder.

[0019] Preferably, a tower door is provided on the lower section of the main cylinder with a smaller wall thickness, and a tower door reinforcing ring is provided around the tower door.

[0020] Preferably, multiple internal reinforcing ribs are evenly distributed along the circumference on the inner wall of the main cylinder.

[0021] Preferably, it also includes a reinforcing ring plate surrounding the outer periphery of the main cylinder, with multiple cover plates respectively connected to the outer edge of the reinforcing ring plate.

[0022] Compared to the aforementioned background technologies, this solution replaces the traditional closed box girder with an open I-beam structure, fundamentally solving the manufacturing and maintenance challenges. Furthermore, all welds can be double-sided welded and comprehensively inspected, eliminating any blind spots in quality control. Simultaneously, the open surface facilitates thorough anti-corrosion coating and life-cycle inspection and maintenance, avoiding the risk of internal corrosion and significantly improving the structure's reliability and long-term durability. Secondly, by segmenting the beam components (cover plate, bottom plate, side plates) and setting different wall thicknesses, a lightweight design is achieved. This design ensures that the material distribution closely matches the actual stress distribution, effectively reducing steel usage and significantly lowering the structure's self-weight while ensuring safety. Attached Figure Description

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application 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 only embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the I-beam force transmission structure in the embodiments of this application;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a front view of the I-beam force transmission structure in the embodiments of this application;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a top view of the I-beam force transmission structure in the embodiments of this application;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of the I-beam type force transmission structure in the embodiments of this application.

[0028] The components are: 1. Main tube body; 2. Jacket support column; 3. Cover plate; 4. Bottom plate; 5. Side plate; 6. Top reinforcing rib; 7. Bottom plate; 8. Bottom reinforcing rib; 9. Tower door; 10. Tower door reinforcing ring; 11. Internal reinforcing rib; 12. Reinforcing ring plate. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0030] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0031] It should be noted that the directional terms such as "upper end," "lower end," "left side," and "right side" mentioned below are defined based on the accompanying drawings in the instruction manual.

[0032] Please see Figures 1 to 4 An I-beam type force transmission structure for offshore wind turbines includes a main cylinder 1 and multiple force transmission structures extending radially along the main cylinder 1 to connect to the jacket column 2. The force transmission structure is an I-beam structure, and the I-beam structure includes a cover plate 3, a bottom plate 4, and a side plate 5.

[0033] This design employs an open I-beam structure consisting of a cover plate 3, a bottom plate 4, and a single side plate 5, replacing the traditional closed box girder. Firstly, regarding structural reliability, the open I-beam structure fully exposes both sides of the single side plate 5, which serves as the web, creating conditions for high-quality double-sided welding of all critical welds. This fundamentally solves the problems of uncontrollable quality and significant safety hazards inherent in traditional closed box girders due to single-sided welding and lack of inspection capabilities. Secondly, in terms of economy and design optimization, the segmented variable thickness design of the cover plate 3, bottom plate 4, and side plate 5 achieves "on-demand material allocation." Thicker plates are used in high-stress areas, while thinner plates are used in low-stress areas, ensuring a high degree of matching between material distribution and the actual stress distribution of the structure. This approach effectively avoids material waste and significantly reduces structural weight and project cost while ensuring structural safety.

[0034] In some embodiments, the main cylinder 1 is divided into an upper main cylinder and a lower main cylinder in the vertical direction, and the thickness of the upper main cylinder is greater than the thickness of the lower main cylinder.

[0035] The main cylinder 1 adopts a segmented variable wall thickness design, with a thicker upper section and a thinner lower section. This is an optimized solution that matches the structural stress characteristics. The upper section, as the direct connection point with the wind turbine tower, is the load-bearing area that bears the enormous overall bending moment transmitted by the tower. Therefore, using thicker plates ensures sufficient strength reserve and fatigue resistance in this area. When the load is transferred downwards to the lower section, it has been effectively distributed to the surrounding jacket columns 2 through multiple force transmission structures, significantly reducing the stress on the cylinder wall. Thinner plates are then used to meet its load distribution function, avoiding excessive material design. This "on-demand distribution" lightweight design minimizes steel usage while ensuring absolute structural safety, thus significantly reducing the structure's self-weight.

[0036] The cover plate 3 is configured in the shape of an upper flange, with one end connected to the main cylinder 1 and the other end connected to the guide frame column 2.

[0037] In some embodiments, the cover plate 3 is inclined downward in the vertical direction between the main cylinder 1 and the guide frame column 2. A plurality of internal reinforcing ribs 11 are evenly distributed circumferentially on the inner wall of the main cylinder 1.

[0038] See attached document Figure 1 The cover plate 3 connecting the main cylinder 1 and the jacket support column 2 is designed to slope downwards. Its core function is to achieve self-drainage of the structure, thereby improving its durability. In a marine environment, this design can effectively drain rainwater and waves using gravity, fundamentally avoiding problems such as accelerated localized corrosion and coating failure caused by water accumulation, while also reducing safety risks during operation and maintenance. In addition, the inclined structure also optimizes the stress on the joint, making the load transfer path smoother, which helps to alleviate stress concentration in the connection weld area and improves the fatigue resistance of the structure.

[0039] Internal reinforcing ribs 11 are evenly distributed circumferentially on the inner wall of the main cylinder 1. Their core function is to resist local buckling and ensure the cross-sectional stability of the cylinder under huge concentrated forces. They, together with the external force transmission structures (cover plate 3 and bottom plate 4), form a closed rigid force transmission frame on both the inner and outer sides. This frame can evenly distribute concentrated external loads to the entire cross-section of the cylinder, avoiding stress concentration.

[0040] The bottom plate 4 is configured in the shape of a lower flange and is located below the cover plate 3. One end of it is connected to the main cylinder 1 and the other end is connected to the guide frame column 2.

[0041] A single side plate 5 is vertically connected between the cover plate 3 and the bottom plate 4 to form an I-beam structure.

[0042] Side plate 5 structurally serves as the web connecting cover plate 3 and bottom plate 4, together forming an I-shaped load-bearing beam. Its function is to resist and transfer shear force, thereby maintaining the integrity of the beam section. Simultaneously, side plate 5, with its own height, expands the upper and lower flanges, forming a large bending arm. This allows the entire structure to withstand extremely large bending moments with a lighter self-weight and effectively supports the compression flange, preventing local instability. Furthermore, the individual side plate 5 allows for double-sided welding and comprehensive inspection of the welds, eliminating blind spots in quality control. The open surface also facilitates thorough anti-corrosion coating and life-cycle inspection and maintenance, avoiding the risk of internal corrosion, thus significantly improving the reliability and long-term durability of the structure.

[0043] In some embodiments, the plane containing the center of the wall thickness of the side plate 5 is coplanar with the plane defined by the central axis of the main cylinder 1 and the central axis of the connecting guide frame column 2.

[0044] The center plane of side plate 5 is precisely aligned with the center axis of main cylinder 1 and guide frame column 2. This centered layout ensures that the resultant force line of the load can accurately pass through the shear center of the I-beam, improving the overall stability of the device.

[0045] At least one of the side plate 5, the cover plate 3 and / or the bottom plate 4 is divided into at least two sections along the length of the main cylinder 1 to the jacket support column 2, and the wall thickness of the at least two sections is different.

[0046] The side plates 5, cover plates 3, or bottom plates 4 that make up the I-beam are divided into sections of different thicknesses along their length. This is a material allocation based on demand: thicker plates are used in critical areas of stress concentration, while thinner plates are used in areas of lower stress. This achieves precise utilization of materials, significantly reducing the structure's self-weight and lowering material, manufacturing, and installation costs.

[0047] In some embodiments, the wall thickness of the section of the side plate 5, cover plate 3 and / or bottom plate 4 that is connected to the main cylinder 1 and / or column is greater than the wall thickness of the middle section that is far from the connection position.

[0048] The specific implementation is characterized by a layout that thickens at the ends and thins in the middle. At the connection ends with the main cylinder 1 and the jacket support column 2, severe stress concentration occurs due to the huge bending moment and shear force. Therefore, the wall thickness in these sections is significantly increased to ensure the strength, stiffness, and fatigue resistance of the connection nodes. In the middle sections, which are far from the ends, the stress level is relatively mild, and the plate thickness is correspondingly reduced.

[0049] In some embodiments, the force transmission structure further includes a top reinforcing rib 6 disposed between the outer surface of the main cylinder 1 and the upper surface of the cover plate 3.

[0050] To further strengthen the connection between the main cylinder 1 and the force transmission structure, a top reinforcing rib 6 was introduced into the design. The rib 6 is positioned between the outer wall of the main cylinder 1 and the upper surface of the cover plate 3, forming a stable triangular support. By forming a triangular stable zone, the rigidity of the connection node is greatly improved, and deformation is suppressed; moreover, the concentrated force is distributed over a larger cylinder area, playing a supporting role in preventing local instability of the cylinder wall.

[0051] In some embodiments, the system further includes a bottom deck 7 and a bottom reinforcing rib 8 disposed below the bottom plate 4 and connected between the outer surface of the jacket column 2 and the bottom deck 7.

[0052] To further strengthen the connection between the jacket support columns and the load-bearing structure, a bottom reinforcement structure corresponding to the top reinforcement ribs was introduced in the design. This structure consists of a bottom deck plate 7 and bottom reinforcement rib plates 8, which, together with the bottom plate 4 of the I-beam, form a closed or semi-closed box section below the node. The bottom reinforcement rib plates and the top rib plates form a symmetrical bidirectional support, which can effectively resist loads from complex directions such as waves and currents, and prevent node torsion.

[0053] In some embodiments, a tower door 9 is provided on the lower section of the main cylinder 1 with a smaller wall thickness, and a tower door reinforcing ring 10 is provided around the tower door 9.

[0054] For the operation and maintenance requirements of the equipment, a tower door 9 for personnel access is installed on the main cylinder 1. Since opening holes in the load-bearing cylinder wall would cut off the stress path, cause severe stress concentration, and weaken local stiffness, a robust tower door reinforcing ring 10 is designed around the tower door. The function of this tower door reinforcing ring 10 is: it compensates for the load-bearing capacity lost due to the opening with its own cross-section; and it guides the concentrated stress at the corners of the door opening smoothly to the surrounding cylinder wall, alleviating stress concentration, improving fatigue life, and ensuring that the structural safety is not compromised while meeting functional requirements.

[0055] In some embodiments, a reinforcing ring plate 12 is provided around the outer periphery of the main cylinder 1, and a plurality of cover plates 3 are respectively connected to the outer edge of the reinforcing ring plate 12.

[0056] It should be noted that in this specification, relational terms such as first and second are used only to distinguish one entity from several other entities, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities.

[0057] The foregoing has provided a detailed description of an I-beam type force transmission structure for offshore wind turbines provided in this application. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The descriptions of the embodiments above are merely for the purpose of helping to understand the solution and core ideas of this application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications to this application without departing from its principles, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A force transmission structure of an I-beam type for offshore wind turbines, comprising a main cylinder (1) and a plurality of force transmission structures extending radially along the main cylinder (1) to connect to the jacket support column (2), characterized in that: The force transmission structure is an I-beam structure, which includes: The cover plate (3) is configured in the shape of an upper flange, with one end connected to the main cylinder (1) and the other end connected to the guide frame column (2). The bottom plate (4) is set in the shape of a lower flange and is located below the cover plate (3). One end of the bottom plate is connected to the main cylinder (1) and the other end is connected to the guide frame column (2). Side plate (5) is vertically connected between the cover plate (3) and the bottom plate (4) to form the I-beam structure; At least one of the side plate (5), the cover plate (3) and / or the bottom plate (4) is divided into at least two sections along the length direction from the main cylinder (1) to the guide frame column (2), and the at least two sections have different wall thicknesses.

2. The offshore wind turbine I-beam type force transmission structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The plane containing the center of the wall thickness of the side plate (5) is coplanar with the plane defined by the central axis of the main cylinder (1) and the central axis of the guide frame column (2) to which it is connected.

3. The offshore wind turbine I-beam type force transmission structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The cover plate (3) is inclined downward in the vertical direction between the main cylinder (1) and the guide frame column (2).

4. The offshore wind turbine I-beam type force transmission structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The wall thickness of the section of the side plate (5), cover plate (3) and / or bottom plate (4) that is connected to the main cylinder (1) and / or the column is greater than the wall thickness of the middle section that is far from the connection position.

5. The I-beam type force transmission structure for offshore wind turbines as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a top reinforcing rib (6) disposed between the outer surface of the main cylinder (1) and the upper surface of the cover plate (3).

6. The I-beam type force transmission structure for offshore wind turbines as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a bottom deck (7) and a bottom reinforcing rib (8) disposed below the bottom plate (4) and connected between the outer surface of the jacket column (2) and the bottom deck (7).

7. The offshore wind turbine I-beam type force transmission structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The main cylinder (1) is divided into an upper main cylinder and a lower main cylinder in the vertical direction, and the thickness of the upper main cylinder is greater than the thickness of the lower main cylinder.

8. The offshore wind turbine I-beam type force transmission structure as described in claim 7, characterized in that, A tower door (9) is provided on the lower section of the main cylinder with a smaller wall thickness, and a tower door reinforcing ring (10) is provided around the tower door (9).

9. The offshore wind turbine I-beam type force transmission structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple internal reinforcing ribs (11) are evenly distributed along the circumference on the inner wall of the main cylinder (1).

10. The I-beam type force transmission structure for offshore wind turbines as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a reinforcing ring plate (12) arranged around the outer periphery of the main cylinder (1), and a plurality of the cover plates (3) are respectively connected to the outer edge of the reinforcing ring plate (12).

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