Wind Turbine Tower Corner Connection with Alternating Butt Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wind turbine towers face challenges in efficiently transferring large forces at corner regions where adjacent segments and sections meet, leading to potential structural weaknesses.
Innovation Solution
The corner connection design features inwardly bent portions along horizontal and vertical directions with alternating lengths, forming butt joints and incorporating splice plates connected by bolted connections to enhance load transfer and stiffness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional bolted flange connections or overlap connections are used to connect tower segments, then the tower structure can be assembled, but the load transfer at corner regions is insufficient leading to structural weakness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a corner connection element as an intermediary component that mediates between adjacent tower segments at corner regions. This specialized connection element with alternating inwardly bent portions creates butt joints that effectively transfer loads between segments, resolving the insufficient load transfer problem of conventional connections while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing different connection configurations at different locations: corner regions receive specialized corner connection elements with butt joints for superior load transfer, while other regions can use conventional connections. This localized optimization ensures that critical corner areas have enhanced strength without requiring all connections to be overly complex.
2Ease of manufacture
If tower segments are connected with simple overlap connections, then assembly is easier, but peak stresses are not sufficiently reduced at corner regions
Solution Approach 1:
The corner connection element serves as a mediator that simplifies the assembly process at corner regions while simultaneously reducing peak stresses. The standardized corner connection element can be pre-fabricated and then easily installed, maintaining ease of manufacture while the butt joint configuration effectively distributes and reduces peak stresses compared to simple overlap connections.
3Strength
If inwardly bent portions with alternating lengths are used to form corner connections, then load transfer between segments is improved, but the connection complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The corner connection element is segmented into alternating inwardly bent portions that interface with adjacent tower segments. This segmentation allows each portion to independently engage with its corresponding segment, simplifying the overall assembly process while maintaining effective load transfer. The modular segmented structure reduces complexity compared to a monolithic connection design.
Solution Approach 2:
The corner connection element employs asymmetric alternating inwardly bent portions with different lengths to optimize engagement with adjacent segments. This asymmetric design creates effective butt joints that improve load transfer while the regular alternating pattern maintains manufacturing simplicity and assembly ease, balancing performance improvement with controlled complexity.
4Reliability
If splice plates are added to butt joints to improve load transfer, then structural reliability increases, but manufacturing and assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the corner connection element with the splice plate functionality into a single integrated component. The corner connection element itself is configured as a splice plate that can be directly connected to the butt joint between inwardly bent portions, eliminating the need for separate splice plate components. This merging reduces component quantity and assembly complexity while maintaining the load transfer reliability benefits of splice plates.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A corner connection (4, 16), in particular for a wind turbine tower (1), connecting four adjacent tower segments (5, 6, 7, 8) by portions (9, 10, 11, 12) inwardly bent along a horizontal or vertical direction, whereby the lengths of the inwardly bent portions (9, 10, 11, 12) along the horizontal or vertical direction are alternated and two inwardly bent portions (9, 10, 11, 12) along the horizontal or vertical direction form a butt joint, whereby the at least one splice plate (17, 18) is connected to the butt joint.