Wind Turbine Concrete Segment Variable Wall Thickness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wind turbine tower designs with concrete segments experience undesirable local effects such as increased concrete compressive stresses and circumferential stresses due to the geometry of the connection area, which requires additional reinforcement and can lead to inefficiencies in concrete usage.
Innovation Solution
A concrete segment design for wind turbine towers that allows for adjustable thickness based on intended loads, featuring a central area with varying wall thickness and connection areas with specific thickness configurations to minimize local stress effects and optimize concrete usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the connection area geometry includes an inward thickness increase towards the inside of the tower, then the contact area for concrete-grout interfaces is widened to withstand stresses, but local bending moments and stress concentrations are generated that require additional reinforcement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing an inward thickness increase specifically in the connection area where stresses are concentrated, while maintaining a different (smaller or zero) thickness increase in the central area. This localized geometric modification allows the connection area to have enhanced load-bearing capacity without subjecting the entire segment to unnecessary complexity and additional reinforcement requirements.
2Reliability
If the connection area has an inward thickness increase to provide wider contact area, then stresses can be supported by filler material, but undesirable local effects such as local bending moments and circumferential stresses are generated
Solution Approach 1:
The invention implements local quality by concentrating the inward thickness increase specifically in the connection area where it is needed for joint reliability, while keeping the central area's thickness increase minimal or zero to avoid generating harmful local stress concentrations and bending moments in regions where they are not required.
3Ease of manufacture
If uniform thickness is used throughout the concrete segment, then manufacturing is simplified, but the amount of concrete cannot be optimized for varying load requirements at different locations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the wall thickness configuration between the connection area and the central area. The connection area features an inward thickness increase to provide adequate contact area and strength, while the central area maintains a simpler geometry with minimal or zero thickness increase. This localized differentiation allows the structure to use concrete efficiently only where needed for load-bearing, rather than uniformly throughout the entire segment.
Data Source
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AI summary
The object of the invention is a concrete segment of a section of a wind turbine tower which minimizes the undesirable local effects in the connection area between adjacent concrete sections, a section comprising at least two concrete segments, a set comprising two adjacent sections and a joint disposed between the two adjacent sections, a tower comprising at least one set and a mould configured to cast a concrete segment.