Guyed Wind Turbine Tower Anchoring via Through-Hole Foundations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Increasing the height of wind turbine towers to enhance energy production is limited by structural strength and rigidity requirements, as taller towers face increased loads and susceptibility to vibrations, and conventional anchoring methods for stay cables are complex and costly.
Innovation Solution
A guyed tower arrangement with cable foundations featuring through-holes and anchoring means that allow stay cables to be anchored behind the holes, eliminating the need for external connections to concrete foundations, thereby simplifying anchoring and improving structural rigidity and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the tower height is increased to enhance energy production, then the energy production increases, but the structural strength and rigidity become insufficient due to increased loads and vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The tower is divided into multiple tower sections (first tower section, second tower section, etc.) that can be assembled in segments. This segmentation allows the tower to achieve greater height while maintaining structural integrity through modular construction, with each section contributing to the overall strength and rigidity requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a third dimension of support by adding guyed tower elements with stay cables anchored at cable foundations, moving beyond the conventional two-dimensional tower structure. This dimensional expansion provides additional structural support and stability for taller tower configurations.
2Strength
If the tower diameter or wall thickness is increased to improve structural strength, then the structural strength increases, but transportation and cost issues arise
Solution Approach 1:
The tower is divided into multiple transportable tower sections that can be manufactured, transported, and assembled separately. This segmentation enables the tower to achieve the required structural strength without requiring a single large-diameter structure that would be difficult and expensive to transport.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of increasing tower diameter (one dimension), the patent adds vertical segmentation and guyed tower elements with stay cables (additional dimensions), providing structural strength through a different dimensional approach that avoids transportation and cost issues.
3Reliability
If conventional anchoring methods using connectors cast into concrete foundation are used, then the stay cables are anchored, but the anchoring process becomes complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the complex connector casting process from the anchoring system. Instead of using connectors that must be cast into concrete foundations, the invention uses simplified anchoring means that can be directly anchored to the cable foundation, removing the unnecessary intermediate connector element and casting process.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of casting connectors into the concrete foundation and then anchoring cables to them, the patent inverts the process by directly anchoring the stay cables to the cable foundation using simplified anchoring means, eliminating the need for the traditional connector-casting sequence.
Data Source
AI summary
A tower arrangement for a wind turbine, including: a guyed tower, cable foundations each including a through-hole, one or more stay cables, each stay cable being anchored at its first end at the tower and being anchored at its second end at one of the cable foundations, and one or more anchoring means for anchoring the second end of each stay cable at the respective cable foundation, wherein each stay cable is guided through a respective through-hole and anchored, with respect to its first end, behind the respective through-hole at its second end using the anchoring means is provided. By having the cable foundations comprising the through-holes, guiding the stay cables through the through-holes and anchoring them behind the through-holes, external connection means such as steel structures poured into the concrete foundation are not required. Thus, the anchoring of the stay cables at the cable foundations is simplified.