Retaining Device for Wind Turbine Tower Post-Tensioning Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wind turbine towers experience displacement of post-tensioning elements due to bending moments caused by lateral loads, leading to potential collapse under extreme winds, as current systems fail to maintain the intended distance between the tower wall and post-tensioning elements.
Innovation Solution
A retaining device comprising a housing device and anchoring means that house and anchor the post-tensioning elements at a specific distance from the tower wall, allowing for centering and adjustment to maintain the distance even under bending, and a guiding system with centering elements and protrusions to prevent damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If post-tensioning elements are uniformly distributed along the tower perimeter, then eccentric forces are avoided and the resultant post-tension force falls on the central axis, but the tower still suffers bending moments due to lateral loads causing displacement of tensioning elements
Solution Approach 1:
The tower is divided into multiple segments with post-tensioning elements distributed at different heights and circumferential positions. Each segment can independently accommodate lateral displacement while maintaining overall structural integrity, preventing collapse under extreme winds.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution transitions from a two-dimensional uniform distribution problem to a three-dimensional spatial arrangement. By utilizing vertical height and circumferential position as additional dimensions, the patent creates a more robust configuration that resists bending moments while maintaining central axis alignment.
2Strength
If the tower is designed to resist bending moments from lateral loads, then structural stability is improved, but the distance between the tower wall and post-tensioning elements cannot be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining device incorporates adjustable and adaptable components that can dynamically respond to tower deformation under lateral loads. The system maintains the required distance between the tower wall and post-tensioning elements even when the tower bends, through mechanisms that accommodate displacement while preserving geometric relationships.
3Ease of manufacture
If the post-tensioning elements are located in the interior space of the tower, then the system is simplified and easier to install, but the elements are vulnerable to displacement and potential collapse under extreme lateral loads
Solution Approach 1:
The post-tensioning elements are nested within a protective retaining device that is itself positioned within the tower's interior space. This nested configuration protects the vulnerable elements from direct exposure to lateral loads while maintaining the simplicity of an interior-based system.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a retaining device of a post-tensioning element of a post-tensioning system of a tower of a wind turbine that maintains the distance between the interior wall of the tower and the post-tensioning element even if the tower suffers a bending moment due to lateral loads, to a post-tensioning system of a tower of a wind turbine comprising the retaining device and at least one post-tensioning element and the tower of a wind turbine comprising the post-tensioning system, and to a method of retaining a post-tensioning element of a post-tensioning system of a tower of a wind turbine.