Hollow Concrete Offshore Wind Support with Inner Pipes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current supporting structures for offshore wind power generators lack design criteria, leading to reduced price competitiveness and difficulty in international certification, with large concrete volumes causing environmental concerns and construction challenges.
Innovation Solution
A modular supporting structure with hollow concrete parts and inner pipes made of steel or FRP, reducing weight and enhancing rigidity and ductility to resist transverse loads, while allowing for assembly of units to improve construction efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the volume of the supporting structure is increased to support larger wind power towers, then the load-bearing capacity is improved, but the construction difficulty increases and environmental friendliness deteriorates due to excessive cement use
Solution Approach 1:
The supporting structure is divided into multiple modular units that can be assembled together. Each unit has a standardized configuration with hollow spaces and inner pipes, allowing the overall structure to be scaled by adding more units rather than increasing the volume of individual components. This segmentation enables construction of larger supports without proportionally increasing construction difficulty.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs hollow spaces within concrete units and thin-walled inner pipes (steel or FRP) to create a lightweight yet strong structure. The hollow configuration reduces material volume while maintaining structural integrity through smart geometry, and the thin-walled pipes provide reinforcement without adding significant weight or material consumption.
2Strength
If the volume of the supporting structure is increased to support larger wind power towers, then the load-bearing capacity is improved, but material consumption increases causing environmental concerns
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the structure into modular units with hollow spaces, the design achieves required load-bearing capacity through strategic placement and configuration of concrete segments rather than using large volumes of cement throughout. The modular approach allows optimization of material distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines concrete with steel or FRP inner pipes to create a composite structure. This composite material system provides high strength-to-weight ratio and high strength-to-volume ratio, reducing the total quantity of cement needed while maintaining or improving load-bearing capacity. The inner pipes act as reinforcement that allows reduction of concrete volume.
3Weight of stationary object
If hollow spaces are formed in the supporting structure, then the weight is reduced and construction is facilitated, but the resistance to transverse loads may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The hollow spaces are lined with thin-walled inner pipes made of steel or FRP that provide structural reinforcement. These thin films/shells maintain the hollow configuration for weight reduction while simultaneously providing the strength needed to resist transverse loads such as wave forces and wind loads.
Solution Approach 2:
The combination of concrete and steel/FRP pipes creates a composite structure where the concrete provides compressive strength and the inner pipes provide tensile strength and resistance to transverse bending. This composite action allows hollow configuration without sacrificing transverse load resistance.
4Productivity
If the supporting structure is designed as modular units, then the construction efficiency is improved and cost is reduced, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The supporting structure is divided into standardized modular units, each containing hollow spaces and inner pipes in a repeatable configuration. This segmentation enables factory pre-fabrication and on-site assembly, dramatically improving construction efficiency. The modular design simplifies logistics and construction processes despite the internal complexity of each unit.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is supporting structure for an offshore wind power generator. The supporting structure includes lower support part and main body part. The lower support part includes lower concrete part which is provided on a base installed on the sea floor and is reduced in width from the bottom thereto to the top, at least one lower hollow space which is formed in the lower concrete part, and a lower inner-pipe which is attached to the inner surface of the lower hollow space. The main body part is coupled to an upper end of the lower support part. The main body part includes a main-body concrete part, at least one main-body hollow space which is formed in the main-body concrete part and communicates with the lower hollow space, and a main-body inner-pipe which is attached to a circumferential inner surface of the main-body hollow space.