Wind Turbine Tower Transition Body with Truncated Cone Shell
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wind turbine towers face challenges in achieving high stability and cost-effectiveness, especially when erected offshore, with complex geometries and high load requirements.
Innovation Solution
A tower design featuring a lattice lower part connected to a tubular upper part via a transition body with corner posts welded to a truncated cone shell, optimizing force flow and reducing weld seam volume, allowing for the use of standard components and avoiding intricate pipe connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a transition piece with greater horizontal extent in the lower area is used to connect lattice tower and tubular tower, then connection stability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The transition body is segmented into a lattice tower connection section and a tubular tower connection section, with corner posts serving as structural dividers. This segmentation allows each section to be optimized independently while maintaining overall stability, reducing the complexity of the entire transition piece.
Solution Approach 2:
The transition body incorporates an inclined conical section that transitions from a larger lower diameter to a smaller upper diameter. This dimensional change in the vertical axis allows the structure to achieve stability through gradual geometric transition rather than through complex lateral extensions, simplifying the overall design.
2Ease of manufacture
If standard tube profiles and sheets are used with minimal processing, then manufacturing cost and complexity are reduced, but achieving high torsional and bending load capacity with slender geometry becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The transition body combines a conical shell structure with integrated corner posts to create a composite structural system. This composite design achieves high torsional and bending load capacity through the synergistic interaction of the conical geometry and corner post reinforcement, while using standard tube profiles and sheets that require minimal processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The conical transition body utilizes curved surfaces and gradual geometric transitions to distribute and redirect loads efficiently. The inclined conical geometry provides inherent structural strength against torsional and bending forces while maintaining a slender overall appearance, achieving high strength-to-weight ratio with standard materials.
3Force
If the transition body is designed with inclined conical geometry, then force flow from tubular tower to lattice tower becomes efficient and even, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The corner posts serve multiple functions: they provide structural reinforcement at critical stress points, define the geometric transition zones, and act as attachment points for welding. This multi-functionality allows the use of standardized corner post dimensions and configurations, reducing manufacturing precision requirements while maintaining efficient force flow through the conical geometry.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a tower (10) of a wind power station, comprising a lower part (20) in the form of a lattice tower (20) provided with at least three corner posts (24), and an upper part (40) of a tubular tower (40) which has an essentially round cross-section. In the transition region, the upper connection region, especially the upper side, of the lower part (20), is connected to the upper connection region, especially the lower side, of the upper part (40), by means of a transition body (30). The tower (10) is improved in that the transition body (30) is in the form of a truncated cone envelope (32), the corner posts (24) protruding into the transition region and being connected to the truncated cone envelope (32), at least in sections, in the transition region between the upper connection region of the lower part (20) and the lower connection region of the upper part (40). The invention also relates to the use of a transition body (30) in a tower (10) of a wind power station according to the invention.