Wind Turbine Connection Bracket Lateral Offset Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional connection brackets for wind turbine tower elements are expensive to manufacture and heavy, making them difficult to handle and prone to wear due to rubbing against sharp edges during erection, which poses safety risks and reduces their usability.
Innovation Solution
A connection bracket with two fixing sections and a bridging connection section, where the centre line of the connection section is positioned outside the envelope of the fixing sections, allowing the carrying means to run laterally past the tower element, reducing wear and enabling easy assembly without additional components, and manufactured as a single piece for simplicity and reduced weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional connection brackets are used to connect carrying means to tower elements, then the brackets provide sufficient load capacity and structural strength, but they become heavy and expensive to manufacture, making them difficult to handle and posing safety risks to personnel
Solution Approach 1:
The connection bracket is divided into three distinct sections: two fixing sections for attachment to the flange and one connection section for attaching the carrying means. This segmentation allows each section to be optimized independently, reducing overall weight while maintaining structural integrity and load capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection section is positioned at a distance from the plane of the support surfaces, creating a three-dimensional structure. This spatial arrangement allows the carrying means to run laterally past the tower element, reducing wear and enabling a lighter design that maintains sufficient strength.
2Strength
If conventional connection brackets are used with carrying means during tower element erection, then the brackets provide structural support, but the carrying means experiences considerable wear due to rubbing against sharp edges of the tower
Solution Approach 1:
By positioning the connection section at a distance from the flange plane and arranging its center line outside the envelope of the fixing sections, the carrying means is guided to run laterally past the tower element. This spatial configuration eliminates contact between the carrying means and sharp tower edges, preventing wear while maintaining structural support.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection section acts as an intermediary element that guides the carrying means along a safe path. Its specific geometric arrangement serves as a mediator between the fixing sections and the carrying means, ensuring the carrying means follows a trajectory that avoids harmful contact with tower edges.
3Reliability
If conventional connection brackets are designed with sufficient weight for safety, then they provide adequate load capacity, but they become expensive to manufacture and difficult to handle
Solution Approach 1:
Dividing the bracket into three sections allows for optimized material distribution, placing material only where structurally necessary. This reduces overall weight and manufacturing cost while maintaining safety through proper structural design in each section.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the bracket design, specifically positioning the connection section's center line outside the envelope of the fixing sections and at a distance from the support surface plane. This parameter optimization reduces material requirements and manufacturing complexity while maintaining safety and load capacity.
Data Source
AI summary
A connection bracket is provided in order to connect a connection, such as a shackle, hook or ring, to a flange, in particular to a flange of a tower element of a wind turbine, wherein the connection bracket (1) has two fixing sections (3a,3b), which are arranged at a distance (D) from each other and each have a support surface (3c) for laying the connection bracket (1) against the flange and a connection section (4), wherein the connection section (4) is formed from two supporting sections (7a, 7b) each firmly connected to one of the fixing sections (3a, 3b) and standing thereon, and a center section (6) carried by these supporting sections (7a, 7b) and firmly connected to them, such that the connection section (4) bridges the distance (D) between the fixing sections (3a, 3b) at a distance (Y) from the plane (E) of the support surface (3c), and wherein, in a top view seen from the side of the connection bracket (1) remote from the support surface (3c), the center line (M) of the center section (6) of the connection section (1) is arranged outside the envelope (U) of the fixing sections (3). The connection bracket can be manufactured cost-effectively and guarantees a high safety of use despite a reduced weight.