Tapered Hollow Wind Turbine Foundation for Easier Seabed Driving
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wind turbine foundations made of steel or solid concrete are costly, heavy, and complex to install, requiring expensive drilling and high mechanical effort, while steel cylinders driven into the seabed incur high production and connection costs.
Innovation Solution
A hollow structural element with a tapered wall formed from mineral building material, reinforced with metal, is designed for easy installation by pile driving or vibration, featuring a monolithic construction and prestressing to counteract tensile forces, allowing for efficient penetration and enhanced load-bearing capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If steel cylinders are used for hollow structural elements, then the foundation can be driven into the seabed, but production costs and dead weight increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from steel to concrete, fundamentally altering the density and weight characteristics while maintaining the hollow cylindrical geometry and foundation function. This material substitution resolves the contradiction by providing a lighter alternative that achieves the same installation purpose.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite construction by combining concrete for the main structural body with steel reinforcement elements (such as reinforcement cages or embedded steel components) strategically placed to provide necessary tensile strength and connection capabilities. This composite approach allows the structure to achieve both reduced weight compared to full steel construction and sufficient mechanical performance.
2Strength
If solid concrete piles are used, then load-bearing capacity is high, but drilling equipment and installation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the solid concrete pile into a hollow cylindrical structure with an internal cavity. This segmentation reduces the overall material quantity and weight while maintaining external dimensions suitable for foundation installation. The hollow configuration allows for reduced installation resistance without compromising the load-bearing capacity provided by the reinforced concrete wall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes a thin-walled hollow cylindrical shell structure made of reinforced concrete. This shell configuration provides sufficient structural integrity and load-bearing capacity while minimizing material usage and installation resistance. The hollow shell design allows the foundation to be installed using simpler driving equipment rather than complex drilling rigs required for solid piles.
3Ease of manufacture
If hollow structural elements with constant diameter are used, then manufacturing is simplified, but penetration resistance into the ground increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces asymmetry in the vertical dimension by tapering the hollow cylindrical structure - the diameter decreases from the top toward the bottom. This asymmetric geometry reduces the cross-sectional area at the leading edge during installation, thereby reducing soil displacement and installation resistance. The tapering is designed to achieve optimal penetration characteristics while maintaining manufacturability through formwork systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The tapered hollow structure facilitates easy installation, reduces material costs, and enhances load-bearing capacity, while maintaining structural integrity and durability under dynamic environmental conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The hollow structural element can be easily founded by pile driving or vibration
Implementation Method 2
The hollow structural element can be easily founded by pile driving or vibration
Implementation Method 3
The compressive force generated in the concrete by prestressing is such that the tensile forces occurring during driving and/or vibration of a monolithic pile of the same mass and dimension are compensated by at least 70%
Implementation Method 4
The compressive force generated in the concrete by prestressing is such that the tensile forces occurring during driving and/or vibration of a monolithic pile of the same mass and dimension are compensated
Data Source
AI summary
A wind turbine foundation structure comprising a hollow structural member having a longitudinally extending circumferential wall, the wall being bounded at the top by a top end face and bounded at the bottom by a bottom end face, wherein the wall is formed from a mineral building material and in that a wall thickness of the wall tapers from the top end face towards the bottom end face.