Composite Cable Stay Structure for Wind Turbine Vibration Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cables for anchoring wind energy installations are complex to produce, heavy, and prone to vibrations due to low natural bending frequency, which can harm wind turbines, necessitating a solution that enhances load distribution and manufacturing simplicity.
Innovation Solution
A rope composed of pultruded plastic profiles arranged in parallel, with a core and circular rings of sector-shaped profiles, utilizing carbon fiber material embedded in an epoxy matrix, and a UV-resistant insulator, along with a conical cable end sleeve and spiked or perforated plate to secure and spread the profiles, enhancing the modulus-to-mass ratio and reducing weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If steel wire ropes are used to transmit heavy loads, then load transmission capability is improved, but weight increases and natural bending frequency decreases causing vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by using fiber-reinforced plastic profiles (combining high-strength fibers with plastic matrix) instead of traditional steel wires. This composite structure maintains high load transmission capability while significantly reducing weight, thereby increasing the natural bending frequency and eliminating vibration problems associated with heavy steel cables.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameters from dense steel to lightweight fiber-reinforced plastic, fundamentally altering the density and strength-to-weight ratio. This parameter change enables the cable to achieve the required strength with much lower weight, solving the contradiction between load transmission and weight.
2Stability of the object's composition
If parallel wire ropes are used to ensure uniform stress distribution, then load distribution is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases and on-site assembly is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cable into multiple identical plastic profiles, each with optimized geometry to ensure uniform stress distribution. These standardized segments can be manufactured separately using conventional extrusion processes and then assembled, greatly simplifying manufacturing while maintaining uniform load distribution across the cable cross-section.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the structural parameters by using uniform plastic profiles with specific geometric characteristics that naturally distribute stress evenly. This parameter optimization allows for simpler manufacturing processes compared to traditional wire rope construction, eliminating the need for complex on-site assembly.
3Weight of moving object
If cable weight is reduced to increase natural frequency, then vibration is reduced, but load transmission capability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses fiber-reinforced plastic composite materials that provide exceptional strength-to-weight ratio. The high-strength fibers embedded in the plastic matrix enable the cable to maintain high load transmission capability despite significant weight reduction, thus increasing natural frequency without compromising strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent fundamentally changes the material parameters by selecting fiber-reinforced plastic with optimized fiber content, orientation, and matrix properties. This parameter optimization achieves the critical balance between reduced weight for higher natural frequency and sufficient strength for load transmission.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a lightweight, easily manufacturable cable with improved natural frequency, enabling uniform load distribution and reduced vibration, effectively addressing the challenges of existing cable technologies.
Implementation Method 1
a rope which comprises a bundle of pultruded fiber-reinforced plastic profiles, wherein the bundle is configured in cross-section as a core with a plurality of sector-shaped plastic profiles, which is surrounded by at least one circular ring with a plurality of annular sector-shaped plastic profiles
Implementation Method 2
The plastic profiles are preferably made from a carbon fiber material embedded in an epoxy matrix
Implementation Method 3
The provision of plastic profiles, which preferably each have an identical cross-sectional area, enables an industrial manufacturing process for a rope that combines the advantages of a parallel wire rope with a simple manufacturing process and a lower weight compared to the use of steel wire
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a cable (10) comprising a bundle of pultruded fiber-reinforced plastic profiles (20), said bundle, in cross-section, being a core (12) with a plurality of sector-shaped plastic profiles (20), said core being surrounded by at least one annulus (14, 16) having a plurality of plastic profiles (20) that are in the shape of annulus segments. The invention also relates to a cable (10) of the above type, which has a conical cable end sleeve (40) that is potted with a resin.