Optimized truss foundations, adapters for optimized truss foundations, and related systems and methods
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional single-axis solar tracker foundations, primarily using monopiles, are inefficient in managing lateral loads from wind, leading to oversized and deeply embedded foundations, which increase material costs and labor expenses, while alternative A-frame foundations face challenges in optimizing force distribution and minimizing bending moments.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of A-frame foundations with moderately sloped legs and a truss architecture that aligns the torque tube's axis of rotation with the work point, translating lateral loads into axial forces, reducing the need for deep embedment and minimizing material usage by using smaller steel gauges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If monopile foundations are used to support single-axis trackers, then the foundations can resist lateral loads, but the foundations become oversized and require deep embedment, increasing material costs and labor expenses
Solution Approach 1:
The monopile foundation is segmented into multiple truss legs that are driven into the ground at angled positions. This segmentation allows the lateral load to be distributed across multiple structural members rather than concentrated in a single vertical pile, reducing the steel quantity required while maintaining lateral load resistance capability
Solution Approach 2:
The foundation structure transitions from a vertical monopile configuration to an angled truss leg configuration. By introducing angular dimensions and distributing legs across different positions, the structure resists lateral loads more efficiently through geometric arrangement rather than relying solely on vertical embedment depth, thereby reducing material consumption
2Strength
If monopile foundations are used to support single-axis trackers, then the foundations can resist lateral loads, but the embedment depth increases, leading to higher likelihood of encountering refusal during installation
Solution Approach 1:
The single deep monopile is segmented into multiple shorter truss legs with moderate embedment depths. Each leg is angled and positioned to contribute to lateral load resistance through collective geometric arrangement, allowing shallower individual components to achieve the same overall structural performance as a single deep pile
Solution Approach 2:
The foundation design shifts from vertical embedment to angular positioning in three-dimensional space. The truss legs are arranged at specific angles and positions around the torque tube axis, utilizing spatial geometry to resist lateral loads without requiring excessive vertical embedment depth, thereby reducing installation refusal risks
3Quantity of substance
If A-frame foundations are used instead of monopiles, then material usage can be reduced, but the force distribution and bending moments are not optimized
Solution Approach 1:
Each truss leg is designed with specific angular positioning and structural properties tailored to its location relative to the torque tube. The local geometry and orientation of each leg are optimized to distribute forces evenly across the structure, preventing concentration of bending moments while maintaining reduced steel quantity compared to conventional monopiles
Solution Approach 2:
The truss legs are positioned asymmetrically at specific angles relative to the torque tube axis rather than in a symmetric vertical arrangement. This asymmetric angular configuration optimizes the force distribution pathways, allowing the structure to efficiently transfer lateral loads to the ground through axial forces in the angled legs rather than bending moments, thereby improving stability with less material
Data Source
AI summary
An A-frame-shaped truss foundation system for a single-axis tracker with a bearing assembly sitting atop a pair of adjacent angled truss legs joined together with an adapter so that the axis of rotation of the tracker is aligned with a work point of the A-frame. Several such foundation systems are arranged along a North-South row to support a tracker torque tube.