Wind Turbine Adapter for Non-Complementary Tower Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
The non-complementary shape of wind turbine towers with inwardly extending edge portions makes it difficult to secure conventional yaw plates, as existing towers do not have a compatible configuration for mounting these plates.
Innovation Solution
A ring-shaped adapter with complementary configurations for both the tower and yaw plate, allowing the yaw plate to be attached from within the tower structure, accommodating the inwardly extending edge portions and enabling secure mounting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a wind turbine tower is constructed with hollow pole sections having inwardly extending edge portions, then the tower structure achieves structural integrity and strength, but the upper end of the tower does not have a shape complementary to the yaw plate, making it difficult to secure the yaw plate thereto
Solution Approach 1:
An adapter is introduced as an intermediary component between the tower and the yaw plate. The adapter has a lower end with a configuration complementary to the tower structure (accommodating inwardly extending edge portions) and an upper end with a configuration complementary to the yaw plate, thereby enabling secure mounting of the yaw plate to the tower without modifying the tower's structural design
2Shape
If the tower upper end is designed with inwardly extending edge portions for structural purposes, then the tower maintains its structural configuration, but the mounting of a conventional yaw plate becomes difficult due to the non-complementary shape
Solution Approach 1:
The adapter serves as a mediator that bridges the shape incompatibility between the tower and the yaw plate. It is designed with a lower end that fits the tower's inwardly extending edge portions and an upper end that provides a complementary shape for the yaw plate, thus maintaining the tower's original structural configuration while enabling yaw plate attachment
Solution Approach 2:
The adapter is designed as a separate, segmented component that can be independently manufactured and installed. This segmentation allows the adapter to have different configurations at its upper and lower ends, accommodating both the tower's structural requirements and the yaw plate's mounting requirements without compromising either
Data Source
AI summary
An adapter is provided for mounting a wind turbine on the upper end of a wind turbine tower even though the yaw plate of the wind turbine is not complementary in shape to the upper end of the wind turbine tower.