Guide Rail Assembly for Wind Turbine Housing Positioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for repairing and maintaining wind turbine drive trains are complex and require stable support structures for guide rails, which can be cumbersome and heavy.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising first and second housing parts with guide anchors that engage a guide rail for precise positioning and assembly/disassembly, eliminating the need for external support structures and allowing for lightweight, easy handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If guide rails are supported by stable external support structures, then the guide rail system is stable and reliable, but the overall system becomes cumbersome and heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the external support structures entirely, extracting the supporting function from the system. The guide rail is no longer supported by external cumbersome structures but is instead self-supported through the guide anchors that are rigidly fixed to the housing parts, eliminating the need for heavy external support while maintaining stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing parts with rigidly fixed guide anchors serve themselves by supporting the guide rail without external assistance. The guide anchors rigidly fixed to the housing parts provide the necessary support and positioning functions, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating dependency on external support structures.
2Ease of manufacture
If guide anchors are designed as simple one-piece components, then the construction is simple and easy to manufacture, but the positioning precision may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The guide anchors are rigidly fixed to the housing parts in advance during manufacturing, establishing precise relative positions before assembly. This preliminary fixation ensures that when the housing parts are assembled along the guide rail, their positions are pre-determined and precise, combining manufacturing simplicity with positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical positioning systems with a simpler system based on rigid fixation of guide anchors to housing parts. The rigid connection eliminates the need for complex adjustable mechanisms, achieving precise positioning through the inherent rigidity and geometric constraints of the simple one-piece guide anchor design.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple guide rails are used, then positioning accuracy is improved, but the device complexity and number of components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves precise positioning not by adding more guide rails in multiple dimensions, but by utilizing the longitudinal dimension of a single guide rail in combination with rigid fixation of guide anchors to housing parts. The rigid connection in the radial direction combined with movable connection in the longitudinal direction provides sufficient positioning accuracy without requiring multiple guide rails.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention relates to an arrangement comprising a first housing piece (103), a second housing piece (105), a first guiding tie bolt (109), a second guiding tie bolt (111), and at least one guide rail (115) into which the guiding tie bolts (109, 111) interlockingly and slidably engage. The first guiding tie bar (103) is rigidly secured to the first housing piece (103), and the second guiding tie bar (111) is rigidly secured to the second housing piece (105).