Modular Concrete Wind Turbine Tower Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wind turbine tower structures face challenges in achieving sufficient rigidity and flexibility to meet natural frequency requirements for varying dimensions and site conditions, particularly at hub heights above 150 meters, and existing prefabricated construction methods lack adaptability in dimensions and local conditions.
Innovation Solution
A method using a kit of three differently shaped precast concrete rings - a strongly conical, weakly conical, and cylindrical ring - arranged to form a parabolic base section and conical upper section, allowing for modular assembly and adjustment to meet natural frequency requirements, with the strongly conical ring providing a large base diameter and the cylindrical rings enhancing rigidity, enabling flexible tower design and construction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If precast concrete rings with uniform diameter are stacked to construct a tower, then the construction is economical and quick, but the tower lacks flexibility in adapting to different natural frequency requirements and site conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The tower is divided into multiple sections, each composed of precast concrete rings with specific diameter ratios. By segmenting the tower into standardized sections that can be combined in different sequences, the design achieves both rapid assembly and adaptability to various natural frequency requirements without customizing each ring individually.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes variations in the diameter ratios of consecutive concrete rings as the key parameter to control natural frequency. By changing the sequence and combination of ring diameter ratios (e.g., 0.95, 0.90, 0.85), the tower can be adapted to meet different natural frequency requirements while maintaining the efficiency of precast construction.
2Ease of manufacture
If steel tube sections are used to construct a tower, then the tower can be manufactured cheaply, but the tower height is limited due to insufficient rigidity
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs concrete rings with optimized diameter ratios to create a composite structural system that combines the cost-effectiveness of concrete with the rigidity requirements for tall towers. The varying diameter ratios create a tapered structure that provides enhanced stiffness comparable to steel while maintaining economical concrete construction methods.
3Strength
If cast-in-place concrete is used to construct a tower, then the tower can achieve sufficient rigidity, but the construction is time-consuming and weather-dependent
Solution Approach 1:
The concrete rings are manufactured off-site in advance with precisely controlled diameter ratios, allowing quality control and rigidity optimization to be achieved during factory production rather than during on-site construction. This preliminary action enables rapid assembly on-site without weather dependencies while maintaining the structural integrity and rigidity of cast-in-place concrete.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing a tower structure (1), preferably a tower structure (1) of a wind turbine. In a construction using prefabricated parts, concrete rings (2) made of ring-shaped or ring segment-shaped prefabricated concrete parts (7) are arranged one over the other and connected to one another. The tower structure (1) is assembled from a construction kit which includes three differently shaped concrete rings (2a, 2b, 2c). First, a substantially parabola-shaped foot portion (1a) consisting of at least one highly conical concrete ring (2a) is assembled. At least one upper portion (1b) consisting of a number of lightly conical concrete rings (2b) of the same conicity and different diameters and consisting of at least one cylindrical concrete ring (2c) is assembled on the parabola-shaped foot portion (1a). A tower structure (1) is assembled from three differently shaped concrete rings (2a, 2b, 2c), wherein a substantially parabola-shaped foot portion (1a) consisting of at least one highly conical concrete ring (2a) is assembled, and at least one upper portion (1b) consisting of a number of highly conical concrete rings (2b) of the same conicity and different diameters and consisting of at least one cylindrical concrete ring (2c) is assembled on the parabola-shaped foot portion (1a). A construction kit for producing a tower structure (1) of a wind turbine in a construction using prefabricated parts comprises at least one highly conical concrete ring (2a) for a substantially parabola-shaped foot portion, a number of highly conical concrete rings (2b) of different diameters and the same conicity, and at least one cylindrical concrete ring (2c).