Adjustable Flange for Wind Turbine Tower Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wind turbine tower assembly processes face challenges with misaligned tower bases, particularly in offshore installations, where complex and costly corrections are required to compensate for tilts, leading to increased assembly time and costs.
Innovation Solution
A flange system with adjustable, inclined ring parts allows for compensation of misalignments between tower structures, enabling flexible orientation and alignment of tower components, including the use of multiple ring parts and spacers for precise adjustment, and can be designed as circular or polygonal to accommodate various tower shapes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If complex correction steps are used to readjust tilted tower bases, then alignment precision is improved, but device complexity and assembly time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The flange acts as an intermediary component between the tower base and tower section. It includes inclined ring parts with adjustable orientations that serve as mediators to compensate for misalignments. The flange's inclined surfaces (at angles α and β) enable geometric compensation of tilt deviations without requiring complex active correction systems, thus improving alignment precision while maintaining simple passive structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The flange design incorporates variable geometric parameters - specifically the inclination angles α and β of the ring parts, and the adjustable orientations (rotation angles γ and δ) of the ring parts around the central axis. By changing these parameters during assembly, the flange can be adapted to compensate for different misalignment magnitudes and directions, achieving precise alignment without complex correction equipment.
2Device complexity
If traditional flanges are used without inclination adjustment, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The flange transitions from a static, fixed-orientation component to a dynamic, adjustable component. The ring parts can be rotated to different orientations (angles γ and δ) and positioned at different inclination angles (α and β) depending on the measured misalignment. This dynamic adjustability enables the simple flange structure to achieve high alignment precision by adapting its geometry to compensate for specific tilt deviations.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple ring parts with different orientations are used, then alignment precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flange is segmented into multiple independent ring parts (first ring part and second ring part) that can be individually oriented and positioned. Each ring part can be rotated to specific angles (γ for the first, δ for the second) and has specific inclination angles (α and β). This segmentation allows independent adjustment of each ring part to address different components of misalignment, achieving high precision compensation while keeping each individual ring part structurally simple.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
The flange (7) has ring elements (9,10) that are arranged between lower and upper flange rings that are welded with walls of transition element (6) of tower base (3) and tubular structure (8) respectively. The ring elements are provided with respective top surfaces (9a) and bottom surfaces that are inclined at preset angles. The ring elements are rotatably positioned to adjust an inclination of the tower base with respect to tubular structure. Independent claims are included for the following: (1) tower of wind-power plant; and (2) method for manufacturing wind-power plant with tower.