Alternative ring flange models for buckling verification of tubular steel wind turbine towers via advanced numerical analyses and comparison to code provisions

Gantes, Charis J.; Koulatsou, Konstantina; Chondrogiannis, Kyriakos Alexandros

doi:10.1016/j.istruc.2022.11.090

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…These comprised different configurations of the tower with stiffened and unstiffened man door and ventilation openings. Shell finite elements were used to model the towers, while the ring flanges and the stiffening frames around the opening could be modeled with either shell elements or beam elements representing the sections of both flanges assumed to act together, thus taking into account the geometrical eccentricity between the flange axis and shell mid-surface by means of rigid elements, adopting the findings regarding numerical modeling reported in [27]. In the present paper, the modeling of flanges and stiffeners with shells was adopted for increased accuracy.…”

Section: Modeling Detailsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Due to the above reasons, a numerical treatment of the tower's buckling response is pertinent. The buckling behavior of wind turbine towers was investigated by some of the authors in [26,27], placing emphasis on the numerical modeling of the ring flanges away from the openings, while a very comprehensive investigation was published recently [28,29].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hence, unstiffened openings are investigated, where the stiffness and strength reduction caused by the opening are addressed by increased plate thickness. Some initial efforts to compare stiffened and unstiffened man door openings were attempted in [42], while a preliminary version of the present paper, also involving ventilation openings, was presented by the authors in [43].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis of Tubular Steel Wind Turbine Towers near Man Door and Ventilation Openings to Optimize Design against Buckling

Gantes,

Vernardos,

Koulatsou

et al. 2024

Vibration

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The safe and cost-effective design of wind turbine towers is a critical and challenging aspect of the future development of the wind energy sector. This process should consider the continuous growth of towers in height and blades in length. Among potential failure modes of tubular steel towers, shell local buckling due to static axial compressive stresses from the rotor, blades, and tower weight, as well as dynamic flexural compressive stresses from wind actions on the rotating blades and the tower itself, are dominant as thickness is optimized to reduce weight. As man door and ventilation openings are necessary for the towers’ operation, the local weakening of the tower shell in those areas leads to increased buckling danger. This is compensated for by tower manufacturers by the provision of stiffening frames around the openings. However, the cold-forming and welding of these frames are among the most time-consuming aspects of tower fabrication. Working towards the optimization of this design aspect, the buckling response of tubular steel towers near such openings is investigated by means of nonlinear finite element analysis, accounting for geometrical and material nonlinearity and imperfections (GMNIA), and also considering several wind directions with respect to the openings. The alternatives of stiffened and unstiffened openings are investigated, revealing that a thicker shell section around the opening may be sufficient to restore lost stiffness and strength, while the stiffener frame may also be eliminated, offering substantial benefits in terms of manufacturing effort, time and cost.

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Section: Modeling Detailsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis of Tubular Steel Wind Turbine Towers near Man Door and Ventilation Openings to Optimize Design against Buckling

Gantes,

Vernardos,

Koulatsou

et al. 2024

Vibration

Self Cite

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Considerations for the structural design of wind turbine towers: A practical application

de Lima,

Medeiros,

dos Santos

et al. 2024

Structural Design Tall Build

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Aiming to achieve efficient structural performance, this article presents a methodology for the design of the shell structure and dimensioning of the connections of an S355J2 tubular steel tower with a height of 80 m, compatible with a SWT‐2.3‐93 wind turbine. The tower is made up of three segments, interconnected by flanged connections made of high‐strength steel. The analysis considers various load cases, taking into account stress and resistance in different directions, as well as designing connections using Petersen's theory, according to maximum strength and fatigue criteria. The results indicate that the circumferential stresses are nearly negligible compared with the resistant stresses, while the shear stress is significantly higher at the base due to the torsional moment. Meridional stress determines the stability of the structure, requiring consideration of internal pressure for safety. Maximum stress values range from 135.00 to 168.47 MPa, depending on the location along the tower height. Flanged connections meet the strength and fatigue criteria, with the first flange enduring 63.0% of the fatigue effect and the second, 39.7%. Therefore, the results provide reliable information and methodologies for tower design, contributing to the practical and efficient development of these structures.

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Porosity-dependent stability analysis of bio-inspired cellular nanocomposite shells

Sobhani Aragh,

Tan,

Borzabadi Farahani

et al. 2024

International Journal of Mechanical Sciences

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Alternative ring flange models for buckling verification of tubular steel wind turbine towers via advanced numerical analyses and comparison to code provisions

Cited by 5 publications

References 23 publications

Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis of Tubular Steel Wind Turbine Towers near Man Door and Ventilation Openings to Optimize Design against Buckling

Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis of Tubular Steel Wind Turbine Towers near Man Door and Ventilation Openings to Optimize Design against Buckling

Considerations for the structural design of wind turbine towers: A practical application

Porosity-dependent stability analysis of bio-inspired cellular nanocomposite shells

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