Modular Life Extension Kit for Wind Turbine Generator Support Frame
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wind turbine generator support frames are prone to fatigue cracking and failure due to dynamic loading, which existing designs fail to adequately address, leading to potential structural failures.
Innovation Solution
A life extension kit is introduced, comprising a set of modular plates that provide additional structural support and create an alternate load path for the generator support frame, reducing stress at weld joints and preventing crack propagation by distributing loads more effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the generator support frame uses traditional weld joint design, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the weld joints are prone to fatigue cracking and failure under dynamic loading
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is divided into modular components (front frame portion, rear frame portion, end frames) that can be separately manufactured and assembled. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific loading conditions, reducing stress concentrations at critical joints and improving overall fatigue resistance without significantly increasing manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Connection elements such as bolts, pins, or coupling mechanisms are introduced as intermediaries between frame components. These intermediaries distribute loads more evenly across joint interfaces, reducing stress concentrations at weld points and preventing crack initiation while maintaining structural integrity and relatively simple assembly procedures.
2Strength
If the support frame is designed for high strength and stiffness, then it can withstand dynamic loading, but it becomes more susceptible to vibration and requires higher vibration margin
Solution Approach 1:
Different portions of the frame are designed with locally optimized properties - high-strength materials and rigid connections in areas subject to high static loads, while incorporating vibration-damping features, flexible connections, or mass additions in areas prone to dynamic vibration. This localized differentiation allows the structure to withstand loads without excessive vibration sensitivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The natural frequency and vibration characteristics of the frame are modified by changing physical parameters such as mass distribution, moment of inertia, or connection stiffness. This may involve adding counterweights, changing cross-sectional dimensions, or modifying joint characteristics to shift the natural frequency away from excitation frequencies, thereby reducing vibration resonance while maintaining load-bearing capacity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A modular life extension kit (300) for use with a support frame (46) for a wind turbine generator (34), the support frame including at least a support member (56) coupled to a support cross-member (58,59), the support member having a first length (62) and the support cross-member having a second length is provided. The modular life extension kit includes a plurality of plates (301,302,304,306,308,310,312) configured to be coupled to the support frame, wherein at least a first plate of the plurality of plates has a first side (314) configured to be coupled to the support member and a second side (316) configured to be coupled to the support cross-member, the first side extending at least five percent of the first length and the second side extending at least five percent of the second length.