Transition body for arranging between differently designed sections of a wind power plant tower and wind power plant tower with such a transition body

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9487945-B2
Application number	US-201314652629-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 26, 2013
Priority date	Dec 17, 2012
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

The invention concerns a transition body arranged between a lower section and an upper section of a tower for a wind energy plant. The lower tower section is constructed from several corner posts configured as hollow profiles and the upper tower section is configured in the form of a tubular tower which is essentially round in cross section, with a bottom and a connection flange disposed above the bottom for connecting the upper tower section. The bottom and the flange connect the upper tower section and are joined together by at least one metal casing sheet. The connection of the bottom to the at least one metal casing sheet is a welded construction. A number of connection areas is provided on the underside of its bottom, corresponding to the number of corner posts of the lower tower section.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A transition body arranged between a lower tower section and an upper tower section of a tower for a wind power plant, wherein the lower tower section is constructed from several corner posts configured as hollow profiles and the upper tower section is configured in the form of a tubular tower which is substantially round in cross section, with a bottom and a connection flange disposed above the bottom for connecting the upper tower section, wherein the bottom and the flange serving to connect the upper tower section are joined together by at least one metal casing sheet having a continuously conical surface in the shape of a truncated cone, and wherein at least the connection of the bottom to the at least one metal casing sheet is a welded construction, wherein a number of connection areas are provided on the underside of the bottom, the underside of the bottom comprised of a plurality of closed platelike segments, each closed platelike segment having two straight converging side edges and collectively arranged as a facetted structure, the closed platelike segments corresponding to the number of corner posts of the lower tower section, the connection areas being angled relative to each other so that the respective connection area increases radially outward in the assembled state of the transition body.

2. The transition body of claim 1 wherein the connection flange serving for the connection of the upper tower section is arranged on an upper platform, which is situated above the bottom and is likewise connected to the at least one metal casing sheet, the connecting flange having an outer circumference defining a diameter that is complementary for alignment with the upper tower section.

3. The transition body of claim 2 , further comprising:
inner plates configured for stiffening of the transition body wherein the inner plates are welded onto the at least one metal casing sheet and the top side of the bottom.

4. The transition body of claim 3 wherein the inner plates are also welded to the upper platform.

5. The transition body of claim 4 wherein the inner plates run substantially radially and vertically.

6. The transition body of claim 5 wherein the inner plates are welded to the metal casing sheet of a shaft defining a vertical passageway and a tubular shaft.

7. The transition body of claim 6 wherein the inner plates are oriented essentially vertically and are spaced essentially evenly from each other about a circumference of the tubular shaft.

8. The transition body of claim 7 wherein the upper platform has a central through opening and at least one additional through opening at a radial distance thereof.

9. The transition body of claim 7 wherein the inner plates are provided with through openings which serve as an installation passageway.

10. The transition body of claim 1 wherein a particular connection area of the bottom is provided with fastening boreholes arranged on a circle for the connecting of a corner post.

11. The transition body of claim 1 wherein the at least one metal casing sheet defines an envelope surface of the truncated cone.

12. The transition body of claim 1 wherein the continuously conical surface tapers from a first diameter at the bottom to a second diameter at the flange, wherein the connection areas of the corner posts are within the first diameter.

13. A tower for a wind power plant comprises:
a lower tower section;
an upper tower section; and
a transition body arranged between a lower tower section and an upper tower section of a tower for a wind power plant, wherein the lower tower section is constructed from several corner posts configured as hollow profiles and the upper tower section is configured in the form of a tubular tower which is substantially round in cross section, with a bottom and a connection flange disposed above the bottom for connecting the upper tower section, wherein the bottom and the flange serving to connect the upper tower section are joined together by at least one metal casing sheet having a continuously conical surface in the shape of a truncated cone, and wherein at least the connection of the bottom to the at least one metal casing sheet is a welded construction, wherein a number of connection areas are provided on the underside of the bottom, the underside of the bottom comprised of a plurality of closed platelike segments arranged as a facetted structure, the closed platelike segments corresponding to the number of corner posts of the lower tower section, while the connection areas are angled relative to each other so that the respective connection area increases radially outward in the assembled state of the transition body.

14. The tower of claim 13 wherein the respective corner post is composed of several steel pipe profiles joined together in the lengthwise direction, being provided with perforated flanges to accommodate bolts, and the corner posts are joined together by at least one of cross struts and tension struts connected to the flanges.

15. The tower of claim 14 wherein the cross struts are formed from horizontally extending steel profiles.

16. The tower of claim 15 wherein the tension struts are formed from diagonally extending wire cables.

17. The tower of claim 13 wherein the continuously conical surface tapers from a first diameter at the bottom to a second diameter at the flange, wherein the connection areas of the corner posts are within the first diameter.

Assignees

• Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe Ag

Inventors

• Drewes Stephan
• Hirt Mark
• Paton Adrian
• Savvas Konstantinos
• Schilling Frank

Classifications

• E04H12/08

  of metal · CPC title

• F05B2240/9121

  on a lattice tower · CPC title

• E04B2103/06

  of metal · CPC title

• Y02E10/728

  Onshore wind turbines · CPC title

• E02B2017/0091

  Offshore structures for wind turbines · CPC title