Elevated Wind Turbine Foundation Base for Cable Tensioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wind turbine foundation construction methods require on-site concrete pouring and excavation, leading to high construction costs and time consumption, with limited space for prestressing cable tensioning.
Innovation Solution
A wind turbine foundation design featuring a cast-in-place concrete foundation slab and pedestal, with a sprue for tension cables or strands on the foundation base, allowing the foundation to protrude above ground level, eliminating the need for a basement and providing sufficient space for cable tensioning, and enabling separate manufacturing and delivery of tower segments and foundations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a foundation basement is provided below ground level for tensioning prestressing strands, then sufficient space for tensioning operations is achieved, but excavation work and construction complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of providing tensioning space below ground level through excavation, the invention inverts the approach by providing the tensioning space above ground level through an elevated foundation base. The prestressing strand connection is positioned on top of the foundation base, allowing tensioning operations to be performed from above rather than from below ground.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a vertical underground space solution (foundation basement) to a vertical above-ground space solution (elevated foundation base). By changing the dimensional approach from excavating downward to building upward, the patent eliminates the need for complex excavation and basement construction while maintaining adequate tensioning space.
2Manufacturing precision
If traditional on-site concrete pouring is used for foundation construction, then the foundation can be built to required specifications, but construction time and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The foundation system is segmented into modular components: a foundation slab and a separate foundation base. The foundation base can be manufactured as a precast concrete element with integrated prestressing strand connections, allowing it to be produced off-site in a controlled manufacturing environment and then assembled on-site, thereby reducing construction time while maintaining quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The foundation base is prepared in advance as a precast element with all necessary connections and features already in place. This preliminary manufacturing action allows the foundation to be ready for assembly before the tower arrives, eliminating on-site pouring and curing time and accelerating the overall construction process.
3Loss of time
If the foundation base is elevated above ground level to provide tensioning space, then basement excavation is eliminated, but the foundation profile becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The foundation base serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the structural support for the tower, creates the necessary tensioning space above ground level, and integrates the prestressing strand connections. By merging these functions into a single elevated base structure, the invention eliminates the need for separate basement construction while maintaining a relatively simple overall foundation profile.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a wind turbine with a foundation (210) and a tower (102) which is placed on the foundation (210). The foundation (210) has a foundation plate (211) below a ground level and a foundation base (212) on the foundation plate (211) above the ground level. A tensioning cable terminal (213, 214) with a plurality of bores (213a, 214a) for receiving tensioning cables (230) is provided on the foundation base (212), and the tensioning cables (230) are clamped to a lower face (213b, 214b) of the terminal (213, 214) by means of a tensioning cable head (240). The foundation plate (211) and the foundation base (212) are cast in one piece from an in-situ concrete.