Crane Guide Device for Wind Turbine Assembly Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The assembly of large structures like wind turbines is hindered by wind loads, causing components to experience unpredictable movements during lifting and placement, making the process difficult or impossible, especially in high wind conditions.
Innovation Solution
A device with a guide device attached to the boom of a lifting means, such as a crane, that limits the movement of the hoisting cable or hoisting tackle in specific directions, allowing for more controlled and stable lifting and placement of components by coupling the guide device to the attaching means, thereby reducing wind-induced movements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If components are lifted and placed from a surface by a crane, then assembly can be performed, but wind load causes great and unexpected movements making assembly difficult or impossible
Solution Approach 1:
A guide device is introduced as an intermediary element between the crane's hoisting cable and the component being assembled. The guide device couples to the hoisting cable and limits its movement in at least one direction, thereby stabilizing the component's position during assembly operations despite wind loads.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide device is designed to be displaceable along the longitudinal axis of the boom, allowing it to adapt its position dynamically during the assembly process. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the guide device to maintain effective guidance while accommodating the varying positions of the component as it is being assembled.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a guide device is added to limit movement of the hoisting cable, then stability against wind load improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide device is designed to perform multiple functions: it limits movement of the hoisting cable in at least one direction to stabilize the component, while simultaneously being displaceable along the boom to adapt to different assembly positions. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide device is designed as a separate, modular component that can be coupled to the hoisting cable and displaced along the boom independently. This segmentation allows the guide device to be added without fundamentally redesigning the entire crane system, thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the guide device limits movement in at least one direction, then wind-induced movements are reduced, but the hoisting cable's freedom of movement is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The guide device applies directional guidance selectively, limiting movement of the hoisting cable in at least one specific direction (typically horizontal or lateral directions affected by wind) while allowing freedom of movement in other directions (such as vertical movement for lifting and lowering). This selective constraint approach addresses wind-induced movements without unnecessarily restricting the hoisting cable's overall versatility.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A
AI summary
A device for assembling a structure constructed from components, in particular a wind turbine. The device comprises a lifting means placed on a surface for the purpose of placing a component on an available support structure, wherein a boom of the lifting means (5) is provided with a main hoisting cable (7) with attaching means, such as a hoisting tackle, for releasable attachment of the component for lifting to the boom, the boom further comprises a guide device (10) for the attaching means, the guide device is connected to the boom for displacement along a longitudinal axis of the boom by means of a displacing device, and the guide device (10) is configured to limit movement of the attaching means in at least one direction. The invention likewise relates to a method which makes use of the invented device.