Truss Foundation Motor Support Cap for Single-Axis Solar Trackers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Truss foundations used to support torque tube drive motors in solar trackers require more hardware and complex installation workflows compared to other foundations, leading to inefficiencies in material usage and labor, especially when resisting bending moments.
Innovation Solution
A motor support truss cap that joins a single pair of truss legs with a wider stance, using a bow-shaped structure with crimp connectors for secure attachment, allowing for the use of a single truss foundation to support heavy loads, similar to those used for bearing assemblies, while maintaining alignment with the tracker's rotational axis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a double-truss foundation is used to support torque tube drive motors, then the bending moments are effectively resisted, but the hardware quantity and installation complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The motor support truss cap is divided into two separate halves that are attached to opposite sides of the single truss leg. This segmentation allows the cap to wrap around and secure to the truss leg, distributing the load and providing moment resistance while maintaining a single-truss foundation configuration rather than requiring a double-truss structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The motor support truss cap extends in multiple dimensions from the single truss leg, creating a three-dimensional support structure that resists bending moments in multiple directions. The cap includes portions extending laterally and vertically, and may include reinforcement ribs that add structural dimensionality, allowing a single truss to provide the moment resistance previously requiring two trusses.
2Force
If truss foundations are driven to deeper depths with upsized beams, then larger forces are resisted, but the material usage and labor requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The motor support truss cap is segmented into two halves that wrap around the truss leg, distributing the load more efficiently. This allows the existing truss leg to resist larger forces without requiring upsizing or deeper installation, as the segmented cap creates a more effective load path around the truss member.
Solution Approach 2:
The motor support truss cap appears to be constructed as a composite structure combining multiple materials or material properties - potentially including high-strength steel components, reinforcement ribs, and various attachment mechanisms. This composite approach allows the cap to resist larger forces while maintaining a compact design that doesn't require deeper or larger truss legs.
3Stress or pressure
If multiple components are used to construct truss foundations, then the axial forces are effectively managed, but the part count and installation procedures become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The motor support truss cap combines multiple functions into a single integrated component assembly. It simultaneously provides motor mounting surfaces, structural reinforcement, moment resistance, and attachment to the truss leg - all in one cap unit. This merging reduces the part count compared to using separate components for each function while maintaining effective axial force management.
Solution Approach 2:
The motor support truss cap is designed as a multi-functional component that serves multiple purposes: supporting the drive motor, resisting bending moments, providing structural reinforcement, and attaching to the truss leg. This universal design allows a single component to handle various stress types and functional requirements, reducing the need for multiple specialized parts.
Data Source
AI summary
A truss foundation for supporting single-axis solar tracker drive motors and center structures. An adapter joins a pair of adjacent truss legs and provides a mounting platform to support a drive motor and/or center structure of a solar tracker. The adapter has a pair of connecting portions that are received in the legs of the truss foundation. The adapter may be a unitary structure or consist of a pair of slidably connected members that are joined with fasteners to accommodate truss legs spaced apart at different distances.