Wind Turbine Tower Foundation with Multi-Height Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wind turbine tower foundations are costly and inefficient due to large concrete volumes, heavy reinforcement, and limited ability to prevent bending at multiple heights, leading to high construction and operational costs, especially in large wind farms.
Innovation Solution
A foundation base with a central column, inclined tensile structural elements, and compressive structural elements that provide flexural rigidity and support the central column at multiple heights, allowing for adaptable bearing force direction and reduced material usage, featuring hinged connections and pretensioned elements for enhanced structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If large volume concrete foundations are used to support high wind turbine towers, then the foundation can withstand high loads and moments, but the construction cost, material usage, and construction time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The foundation is divided into a modular structure consisting of a central column with multiple support levels, rather than a single massive concrete block. Each module can be independently constructed and assembled, reducing the total concrete volume while maintaining load-bearing capacity through the distributed modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The foundation combines concrete central columns with steel reinforcement elements and soil anchoring systems to create a composite structure. This multi-material approach allows the foundation to achieve high strength-to-volume ratio by leveraging the complementary properties of different materials rather than relying solely on concrete mass.
2Strength
If traditional concrete foundations with large dimensions are used, then the foundation can resist high moments from the tower, but the excavation volume and backfilling requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The foundation structure is segmented into a vertical central column with discrete support modules at different heights, eliminating the need for a large horizontal concrete footprint. This vertical segmentation reduces excavation volume while maintaining moment resistance through the height and structural design of the central column.
Solution Approach 2:
The foundation transitions from a horizontal spread-footing approach to a vertical column-based structure. By moving the load distribution into the vertical dimension rather than spreading it horizontally, the design reduces excavation volume while maintaining moment resistance through the column's height and structural properties.
3Quantity of substance
If reinforcement structures with anchoring wires are used to compensate for reduced flexural rigidity, then material usage decreases, but the structures can only support columns at single heights and cannot prevent bending at multiple heights
Solution Approach 1:
The foundation provides support at multiple discrete heights along the central column through modular support structures, rather than relying on a single anchoring level. This multi-level segmentation enables bending prevention at multiple critical locations, improving reliability while using less reinforcement material than a continuous heavy-duty system would require.
Solution Approach 2:
The foundation design changes the support parameter from single-point anchoring to multi-level distributed support. By distributing support across multiple heights, the structure achieves better bending control with reduced material usage, as each support level addresses specific bending moments at critical locations rather than requiring universal heavy reinforcement.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
The present invention refers to a wind turbine tower (50) and a respective foundation base (8), comprising a central column (10) with a central column foundation (36), upper tensile structural elements (12) with upper ends attached to a tensile structure element bearing portion (44) of the central column (10) and tensile structural element foundations (22) around the central column foundation (10). The structural system of said base (8) for support of the wind turbine tower (50) is characterized in that each lower end of the upper tensile structural elements (12) is attached to a respective compressive structural element (16) that connects said lower end of the respective upper tensile structural element with a compressive structural element bearing portion (46) of the central column (10) and that each lower end of the upper tensile structural elements (12) is attached to a respective lower tensile structural element (14) that connects said lower end of the respective upper tensile structural element (12) with one of the tensile structural element foundations (22).