Connection device for tower-like structures, in particular for offshore wind power installations, a tower-like structure with such a connection device, and a method for manufacturing the structure - Patents.com

Abstract

The invention relates to a connection device, in particular for tower-like structures of offshore wind power installations, which has a plurality of connection elements, in particular in the form of plates or layers, which are arranged between an upper structural part and a lower structural part of the structure in order to form a slip joint and which are positioned adjacent to one another with respect to a central longitudinal axis of the structure in the circumferential direction about the longitudinal axis and / or in the longitudinal direction of the longitudinal axis for the purpose of load transfer between the upper structural part of the structure and the lower structural part of the structure, and in which with respect to the longitudinal axis the connection device has a greater thickness in the middle than at the upper and / or lower ends, in particular at least one middle connection element, which is located between the upper and lower connection elements in the longitudinal direction, has a greater thickness than the upper and / or lower connection elements. Furthermore, the invention relates to a tower-like construction of a wind power installation, in particular configured as an offshore construction, which has at least one lower structural part and at least one upper structural part partially fitted onto the lower structural part to form a slip joint, as well as to a method for manufacturing the tower-like construction.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The invention relates to an object of the type defined in the preamble of claim 1. Furthermore, an apparatus relates to an object of the type defined in the preamble of claim 13 as well as to a method for producing a tower-like structure.

[0002] The object mentioned at the outset is known from EP 3443224. However, it has been found that due to deviations of meter-high structural parts from their target dimensions, undesirable stress peaks can occur, in particular at the lower end of the upper structural part and at the upper end of the lower structural part.

[0003] The object of the present invention is to minimize such stress peaks.

[0004] This problem is solved by the subject matter of claim 1, by the subject matter of claim 13 and by the method according to claim 14. Advantageous configurations of the invention are defined in the dependent claims which refer to these claims.

[0005] The connection device according to the invention, in particular for tower-like buildings of offshore wind power installations, has a number of connection elements, in particular in the form of plates or layers, which can be arranged between the upper and lower structural parts of the building or support structure to form a slip joint and which may be positioned adjacent to one another with respect to the central longitudinal axis of the building, in the circumferential direction around the longitudinal axis and / or in the longitudinal direction of the longitudinal axis, for the purpose of load transfer between the upper structural part of the building and the lower structural part of the building, characterized in that with respect to the longitudinal axis, the connection device has a greater thickness in the center than at the upper and / or lower ends, in particular at least one middle connection element positioned longitudinally between the upper and lower connection elements has a greater thickness than the upper and / or lower connection elements. The increased thickness allows for a greater transfer of loads in this region of the building from the upper structural part of the building to the lower structural part of the building. This reduces or even avoids stress peaks present at the ends of each structural part.

[0006] The thickness of a plate-like or layer-like connecting element is in this case the extension of the connecting element in a direction perpendicular to its planar extension. The thickness is usually significantly smaller than the length and width of the connecting element. Typically, the width and / or length of the connecting element is at least 5 times, preferably at least 10 times, the thickness. Preferably, the thickness of an individual plate-like or layer-like connecting element is in the range of 1.5-20 cm, preferably in the range of 2-10 cm. The thickness is measured in the direction of a perpendicular to the surface of the connecting element, towards a central longitudinal axis which typically extends from the bottom surface of the structure towards the middle and upwards at the installation position of the connecting device. However, for the measurement of the thickness of the connecting element, the connecting element is not considered to be loaded by the structural part of the structure.

[0007] In particular, a connecting device has a relatively large thickness "in the middle with respect to the longitudinal axis" if, over the height of the connecting device formed, for example, from a connecting element of two rings, the region of 15% to 85% of the height is at least partially formed thicker than the region of 0% to 15% of the height and / or the region of 85% to 100% of the height. In this region of 15% to 85% of the height, relatively large loads are transferred away from the upper and lower edges of the connecting device. Preferably, the thickness of the middle region is at most three times the thickness of the upper or lower region, without taking into account chamfers or local recesses on the corner sides of the connecting element. If the connecting element is two rings, for example the upper half of the lower ring and the lower half of the upper ring may be formed relatively thicker.

[0008] Plates are considered to be arranged adjacent to one another longitudinally if, viewed transversely to the longitudinal axis, they are arranged adjacent to one another in the direction of the longitudinal axis, i.e. one above the other, in particular perpendicular to the horizontal foundation. The central longitudinal axis is the longitudinal axis which, in the assembled state of the building, extends vertically from the foundation in the middle and centrally upwards through the building.

[0009] The connection between the lower structural part of the building and the upper structural part of the building is understood to be a slip joint or slip joint connection, in which the upper structural part and the lower structural part have at least one partly conical region which overlaps one another at least in a certain section in a manner similar to stacking cups. By placing the upper structural part over the lower structural part, a friction-based connection is formed without the use of mortar or bolts, which simplifies the manufacture of the building by simplified assembly and reduced material use.

[0010] Plate-like connecting elements, in the sense of the present invention, are connecting elements that are manufactured as a portable and / or transportable plate before being placed on one of the structural parts of the building. These connecting elements can be further processed after manufacture and then attached to one of the two structural parts. Layer-like connecting elements, in the sense of the present invention, are connecting elements that are formed as a layer directly on one of the structural parts, in particular by injection molding or casting. Layer-like connecting elements with different thicknesses can be formed by several successive casting or injection molding steps or only one casting or injection molding step, in which more material is provided on parts of the surface. Thus, layer-like connecting elements can be transferred to one another in a one-piece manner and can be characterized by different thicknesses. In order to manufacture layer-like connecting elements that are correspondingly spatially defined on parts of the building, the building can first be provided with a mold or formwork, into which the material to be applied can then be injected or poured. It is also conceivable that, for producing the connecting elements, the individual parts of the construction are moved relative to an injection or casting moulding device in order to produce a coating of the desired thickness.

[0011] The geometric deviations of the structural parts from the target dimensions are already compensated to a small extent by the preferably ring-, plate- or layer-shaped, in particular compressible and / or elastic, connecting elements. However, due to the size of the structural parts of the building and the associated tolerance deviations, conventional connecting elements do not allow sufficient tolerance compensation. According to a further embodiment of the invention, compensation is only achieved by a targeted adaptation of the thickness of the connecting elements. However, by increasing the thickness of the connecting elements, especially in the middle, an improved error compensation is already achieved in this region of the connection compared to conventional connecting devices.

[0012] In order to compensate for further geometric deviations, i.e. deviations of the construction geometry from the predefined target dimensions, it is further advantageous if the middle connection elements arranged adjacently in the longitudinal direction between the upper and lower connection elements have a thickness greater than the upper and / or lower connection elements, which middle connection elements may also have thicknesses different from one another, so that, viewed in the longitudinal direction, for example, there is a stepwise increase in thickness towards the center of the connection area, which then sequentially decreases again towards the upper end.

[0013] In order to compensate for geometric deviations in the circumferential direction, it is furthermore advantageous according to the invention if at least one of the connecting elements arranged adjacent to one another in the circumferential direction about the central longitudinal axis has a greater thickness than the connecting element arranged next to it.

[0014] It is also advantageous in a further embodiment of the invention if at least some of the connection elements already have different thicknesses in the circumferential or longitudinal direction, i.e. if in the installation position of the building, with respect to the vertical longitudinal central axis of the building, a connection element is arranged above the lowest connection element towards the foundation, this connection element is arranged above a (different) connection element.

[0015] Advantageously, the connection elements of the connection device may be arranged at a distance from one another in the assembly position between the two structural parts of the building. However, it is also conceivable to position these connection elements at a certain distance from one another, in which case this distance can be selected in such a way that it is reduced or even reduced to zero by pressing on each connection element, if at least some of the connection elements are at least partially elastically deformable. All or only some of the connection elements may be designed to be at least partially elastically deformable for this purpose. In particular, this may be a layer of ring-, plate- or layer-shaped connection elements that are designed elastically.

[0016] Advantageously, at least some of the connection elements are formed at least partially compressible, the compressibility of each connection element being formed in particular by the structuring of the surface and / or by the material of at least one layer of the multi-layered connection element. A material that changes its density under pressure is considered to be compressible. For example, this applies to foamed or additive-containing polyurethanes.

[0017] Preferably, the connecting elements according to the invention are at least partially made of polyurethane, for example the plates are made of one or more layers of polyurethane with a hardness Shore A of 75-95, preferably 80-90. These plate-like connecting elements can be glued by means of an elastic adhesive, in particular to the steel surfaces of the lower and / or upper structural parts of the monopile or transition piece.

[0018] In particular, the connecting element is a component which consists at least in large part of polyurethane (PU), preferably at least 95% of polyurethane (PU).

[0019] The connection device according to the invention may have a connection element made up of at least two layers, which besides at least one layer of polyurethane or besides at least one layer of plastic having the same effect in terms of durability, hardness and compressibility and extensibility have further layers. In particular, in addition to the elastically deformable and / or compressible PU layer, at least a part of the connection element may additionally have a layer of slide lacquer, which may also partially or completely cover the polyurethane layer or the layer made of another plastic.

[0020] Advantageously, at least some of the connection elements can have a thickness that decreases in the direction of the longitudinal axis, so that they are formed in cross section, for example tapered in the shape of a wedge at least in certain sections. For example, at least one of the connection elements can have an obliquely chamfered edge. The chamfering of the individual connection elements can facilitate the overlapping of the structural parts of the building on one another, in particular the connection elements attached to the side of the lower structural part have a relatively small thickness at their upper end. Alternatively or additionally, the connection elements attached to the upper, i.e. the side of the structural part to be overlapped, can also have a relatively small thickness at their lower end.

[0021] Alternatively or additionally, at least part of the connecting element can be at least partially provided with an adhesive layer which facilitates its assembly onto one structural part of the building.

[0022] In particular, at least part of the connecting elements, at least one connecting element, has at least one anti-friction coating, in particular a layer of slide lacquer, which facilitates the overlapping of the structural parts on one another and thus also results in a more uniform load transfer. The anti-friction layer may surround the polyurethane layer all around. This may be two layers of polyurethane arranged on oppositely facing surfaces.

[0023] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the assembly and operation of the construction is improved if at least two of the connection elements have complementary, in particular form-locking, connection regions, which can be, for example, groove-and-key connections or front and rear projections which engage with each other in the manner of a hook plate.

[0024] Advantageously, the connecting element has at least one recess for receiving a part of the structural part, preferably provided after the manufacturing of the connecting element, for example this can be a subsequently milled groove for receiving a weld seam.

[0025] The problem stated at the outset is also solved by a tower-like construction of a wind power installation, in particular in the form of an offshore construction, which has at least one lower structural part, in particular in the form of a monopile, and at least one upper structural part, in particular in the form of a transition piece, which upper structural part is partially placed over the lower structural part to form a slip joint, and between the upper and lower structural parts a connecting device as described above or below is arranged, which construction has the correspondingly described advantages.

[0026] The problem stated at the beginning is also achieved by a method for producing the above-mentioned tower-like construction, characterized in that at least part of the connection element is injection-molded or cast-molded onto the lower and / or upper structural part.

[0027] Furthermore, the problem mentioned at the beginning is solved by pre-manufacturing at least a part of the connection elements and then mounting them on the lower and / or upper structural parts. In particular for this purpose, the upper and / or lower structural parts are measured after manufacture, so that deviation dimensions resulting from deviations from the target shape can be determined. Such deviation dimensions are taken into account and accommodated by different thicknesses and / or surface extensions of the connection elements. This is done already during the manufacture of the respective connection elements, for example by adapting the casting mold or the casting process. Alternatively or additionally, the deviation dimensions are also taken into account and accommodated by post-processing of the connection elements. This is particularly advantageous in that a larger number of connection elements can be pre-manufactured and then these connection elements can be further adapted with respect to their thickness and extension, possibly on site and during installation.

[0028] For installation, it may be advantageous to hold the connection element in the desired position, for example by means of a magnetic holding device, until any adhesive present has hardened.

[0029] Further advantages and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0030] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a wind power installation including a tower-like structure according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a portion of the object of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an object according to the present invention arranged on a transition piece. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partial view of a further device according to the invention; [Diagram 5] 1 shows an example of a connection of connecting elements of objects according to the present invention; [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a partial view of a further object according to the invention;

[0031] The features described below of the exemplary embodiment according to the invention may be the subject of the invention either alone or in different combinations than those shown or described, but always in combination with at least one of the features of the independent claims. Wherever possible, elements having the same functional effect are provided with the same reference numbers.

[0032] According to Fig. 1, the offshore wind power installation 2 has a lower structural part 6 of the construction according to the invention, which is arranged on the seabed 4. This structural part 6 is in this case designed as a so-called monopile. However, it can also be a tripod foundation design, which is formed with several supports, which are then each connected by a respective upper structural part 8, which is placed on the lower structural part 6, by means of a respective slip joint connection. The structural parts 6 and 8, by means of the connection device according to the invention, also form a construction according to the invention. Such a wind power installation can also be installed not only offshore, but also on land.

[0033] A connecting device 10 according to the invention, which is shown in more detail in Fig. 2, is positioned between the two structural parts 6 and 8. The connecting device is located in the connection area between the conical section of the lower structural part 6 and the conical section of the upper structural part 8. Although the connecting device has connecting elements 12 which are not directly adjacent in the embodiment according to Fig. 2, the connecting device can also be formed from individual connecting elements 12 which are arranged adjacent to one another without spacing along the structure in the circumferential direction about the longitudinal axis 14 of the structure. In order to compensate for the different cone angles, the lower connecting elements 12 are thicker than the upper connecting elements 12.

[0034] The connection elements 12 in FIG. 3 are shown in cross section, arranged on the upper structural part 8, on the transition piece. Only one side of the vertical longitudinal section is shown, i.e. in this case the left side. The connection elements 12 in FIG. 3 also have a different thickness, the four middle connection elements 12 in the height direction have a greater thickness than the lowermost and uppermost connection elements 12. Of these four total middle connection elements 12, the two further centrally arranged connection elements 12 have a greater thickness than the connection elements 12 arranged above and below them, which results in a stepped extension from below to above with the connection elements 12 that first become thicker and then become thinner again. The load transfer in the cone-shaped components with equal cone angles is mostly carried out by the relatively thick elements, and therefore in the middle area between the lower end of the upper structural part 8 and the upper end of the lower structural part 6 with respect to the longitudinal axis 14 of the building.

[0035] The lowermost connecting element 12 is delimited at its lower end by a support 16 (detail B of FIG. 3), which is in a constructive positive connection with the surface of the upper structural part 8. The horizontal extension of this support 16 is advantageously smaller than the thickness of the lowermost connecting element 12, so that it and the connecting element located above it are prevented from sliding off. At the same time, this horizontal extension is such that, as shown in FIG. 3, in the cross-sectional view shown there, the support 16 does not come into contact with the lower structural part 6 in the assembled position of the building. Alternatively, if the connecting element 12 is arranged on the side of the lower structural part 6, a corresponding support can also be arranged there.

[0036] The connecting element 12 is provided over its entire periphery with a coating 18 formed as an anti-friction slide lacquer and is attached to the surface 22 of the upper connecting element 8 by means of an adhesive layer 20 (details A and B of FIG. 3). The thickness of the coating 18 is small compared to the thickness of the respective connecting element 12, in particular the thickness of the coating 18 is less than or equal to 5% of the thickness of the connecting element 12.

[0037] In the arrangement of the connection device 10 between the two structural parts 6, 8 of the building, as shown in FIG. 4, the connection elements 12 are arranged in parts closely overlapping each other in the direction of the longitudinal axis 14, so that an almost complete coverage of the individual areas occurs. However, between these areas, there are surfaces that are not covered by the connection elements 12, so that the weld seam 25 present on the side of the transition piece (structural part 8) can be located in the resulting gap 24. This allows the weld seam 25 to be unloaded in the completed assembled state of the tower-like building. As an alternative to the arrangement of the connection elements 12 spaced apart from one another, the connection elements 12 can be provided with recesses in order that the material of the connection elements 12 is not completely broken where the connection elements cover the weld seam 25. The weld seam 25 is therefore embedded in the connection elements 12 or arranged in a corresponding recess in the connection elements 12.

[0038] According to a further embodiment shown in Fig. 5, the connecting elements 12 can in particular be arranged form-lockingly with respect to one another by means of complementary mounting areas. In the lower illustration of Fig. 5, the connecting elements are connected in a puzzle-piece manner, whereas in the upper illustration of Fig. 5, the connecting elements 12 are connected in a hook-plate manner.

[0039] The construction according to the invention shown in FIG. 6 is provided with connecting elements 12 consisting of a ring formed by the connecting elements 12 in the circumferential direction around the longitudinal axis 14, where the lowest ring has a thickness of 3.1 cm, the three middle rings have a thickness of 3.4 cm and the uppermost ring is again 3.1 cm thick, so that the main load transmission takes place via the three middle connecting elements.

Claims

1. A connection device, in particular for tower-like structures of offshore wind power installations (2), comprising a number of connection elements (12), in particular in the form of plates or layers, which are arranged between an upper structural part (8) and a lower structural part (6) of the structure in order to form a slip joint and which are positioned adjacent to one another with respect to a central longitudinal axis (14) of the structure in the circumferential direction about said longitudinal axis (14) and / or in the longitudinal direction of said longitudinal axis for the purpose of load transfer between the upper structural part (8) of the structure and the lower structural part (6) of the structure, 1. A connecting device, characterized in that, with respect to the longitudinal axis (14), the connecting device has a greater thickness in the middle than at the upper and / or lower ends, in particular at least one middle connecting element (12) located between an upper connecting element (12) and a lower connecting element (12) in the longitudinal direction, has a greater thickness than the upper connecting element (12) and / or the lower connecting element (12).

2. 2. The connection device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of middle connection elements (12) arranged adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction between an upper connection element (12) and a lower connection element (12) have a thickness greater than the upper connection element (12) and / or the lower connection element (12).

3. 3. The connecting device according to claim 1, wherein one of the connecting elements (12) arranged adjacent to one another in the circumferential direction has a greater thickness than the connecting element arranged next to it.

4. 3. The connecting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least a part of the connecting element (12) is at least partially elastically deformable.

5. 3. The connection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least some of the connection elements (12) are at least partially compressible, the compressibility of each of the connection elements (12) being formed in particular by a structuring of the surface and / or by the material of at least one layer of the connection element (12) in a multi-layer structure.

6. 5. The connection device according to claim 4, wherein the connection element (12) is formed at least in part from polyurethane, and preferably in part from polyurethane.

7. 7. The connection device according to claim 6, wherein the connection element (12) is made of at least two layers, at least one of which is made of polyurethane.

8. 8. The connecting device according to claim 7, wherein at least a part of the connecting element (12) comprises, in addition to the polyurethane layer, at least one anti-friction coating (18), in particular a layer of slide lacquer.

9. 3. The connection device according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the connection element (12) has a reduced thickness in the longitudinal direction.

10. 3. The connection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least a part of the connection element (12) is at least partially provided with an adhesive layer (20).

11. 3. The connection device according to claim 1, wherein at least two of the connection elements (12) have complementary, in particular form-locking, connection regions.

12. 3. The connection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connection element (12) has at least one recess for receiving a part of the structural part (8, 6), preferably provided after production of the connection element, in particular in such a way that the middle or upper connection element (12) has a varying thickness.

13. 1. A tower-like construction of a wind power installation (2), in particular in the form of an offshore construction, with at least one lower structural part (6), in particular in the form of a monopile, and at least one upper structural part (8), in particular in the form of a transition piece, which upper structural part is partially placed on the lower structural part (6) to form a slip joint, and between the upper structural part (8) and the lower structural part (6) a connecting device (10) according to claim 1 or 2 is arranged, in particular a support extending at least in the circumferential direction being arranged under one of the connecting elements (12) or under the lowermost connecting element (12).

14. 14. A method for manufacturing a tower-like structure according to claim 13, characterized in that at least a part of the connection element (12) is injection moulded or cast moulded onto the lower and / or upper structural part (6, 8).

15. 14. A method for manufacturing a tower-like construction according to claim 13, characterized in that at least part of the connecting element (12) is pre-manufactured and then attached onto the lower and / or upper structural part (6, 8).

16. 16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising measuring the upper and / or lower structural parts (6, 8) after production and taking into account deviations in dimensions resulting from deviations from the target shape by different thicknesses and / or areal extents of the connecting elements (12).

17. 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the deviation dimension is taken into account by post-machining at least one of the connecting elements (12).

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