Wind Turbine Jacket with Non-Crossing Struts
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complex and expensive manufacturing and construction of wind turbine jackets with crossed struts require precise manufacturing tolerances and complex contour welds, making them challenging and costly to produce, especially in harsh weather conditions.
Innovation Solution
The method involves arranging struts between the legs of the jacket such that they do not cross each other over at least a large part of their length, allowing for more generous manufacturing tolerances and enabling the jacket to be disassembled into K-shaped components, which simplifies the assembly process and reduces the complexity of strut connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If crossed struts are arranged between the legs of the jacket, then high torsional rigidity and stability are achieved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The jacket structure is divided into multiple ring segments along its length, with each segment containing a subset of the total struts. This segmentation allows the complex crossed-strut structure to be manufactured and assembled in manageable sections, reducing overall manufacturing complexity while preserving the stabilizing effect of crossed struts in critical areas.
Solution Approach 2:
Crossed struts are arranged locally in specific regions where high torsional rigidity is most critical (such as near the base or at connection points), rather than uniformly throughout the entire jacket. This localized application maintains structural strength where needed while minimizing the complexity and cost associated with crossed struts in less critical areas.
2Stability of the object's composition
If crossed struts are used, then high stability is achieved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the jacket into ring segments with subsets of struts, the precision requirements for each individual segment are reduced compared to manufacturing the entire jacket as a single precision component. Tolerances can be accumulated and adjusted at the connection points between segments, making the overall assembly more forgiving of manufacturing variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The jacket is constructed by assembling ring segments along the vertical dimension, allowing precision requirements to be managed in the horizontal plane within each segment while accommodating variations through vertical stacking and adjustment at connection levels.
3Strength
If crossed struts are arranged, then high torsional rigidity is achieved, but the number of complex contour welds increases
Solution Approach 1:
The structure is divided into ring segments that can be manufactured separately with fewer welds each. The complex contour welds are concentrated at the connection points between segments rather than distributed throughout the entire structure, making the welding process more manageable and potentially performable in controlled shop environments rather than on-site.
Solution Approach 2:
Ring segments with their internal strut connections and welds are manufactured and prepared in advance in controlled manufacturing environments where complex welding operations can be performed with proper equipment and conditions. The pre-assembled segments are then transported and connected on-site, avoiding the need to perform complex contour welds in harsh weather conditions.
4Stability of the object's composition
If multiple struts meet at the same leg area, then structural connectivity is improved, but assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The jacket is divided into ring segments, with each segment containing a specific subset of struts that meet at its legs. This segmentation distributes the complexity of multiple strut connections across multiple manageable segments rather than concentrating all connections in a single assembly operation, making the overall assembly process more systematic and less complex.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3b
Figure 4a~4d
AI summary
The invention relates to a jacket (1) for a wind turbine, said jacket having at least three legs (2), a length L and a plurality of struts (4), each strut extending between two legs (2) and struts (4) being provided between the legs (2) over at least a large part of the length L which do not cross any other struts (4). The jacket is characterised in that in different regions of the legs (2), there are only two respective struts (4) in contact with a leg (2) and running to only one adjacent leg (2).