Experimental and numerical investigation of steel-grout-steel sandwich shells for wind turbine towers

Vernardos, Stelios; Gantes, Charis J.; Badogiannis, Efstratios; Lignos, Xenofon A.

doi:10.1016/j.jcsr.2021.106815

Cited by 19 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Recently, most investigations have focused on innovative structures or materials to enhance the stability of a wind tower. Vernardos et al (2021) proposed a steel-grout-steel sandwich tower structure as an alternative to the common steel tower structure. This new structure 2019) used lightweight fiber-reinforced composite materials to construct a WT tower.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical investigation on thermal protection of wind turbine flanges in extremely cold weather

Zhang,

Xu,

2024

HFF

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Purpose Thermal protection of a flange is critical for preventing tower icing and collapse of wind turbines (WTs) in extremely cold weather. This study aims to develop a novel thermal protection system for the WTs flanges using an electrical heat-tracing element. Design/methodology/approach A three-dimensional model and the Poly-Hexacore mesh structure are used, and the fluid-solid coupling method was validated and then deployed to analyze the heat transfer and convection process. Intra-volumetric heat sources are applied to represent the heat generated by the heating element, and the dynamic boundary conditions are considered. The steady temperature and temperature uniformity of the flange are the assessment criteria for the thermal protection performance of the heating element. Findings Enlarging the heating area and increasing the heating power improved the flange's temperature and temperature uniformity. A heating power of 4.9 kW was suitable for engineering applications with the lowest temperature nonuniformity. Compared with continuous heating, the increased temperature nonuniformity was buffered, and the electrical power consumption was reduced by half using pulse heating. Pulse heating time intervals of 1, 3 and 4 h were determined for the spring, autumn and winter, respectively. Originality/value The originality of this study is to propose a novel electrical heat-tracing thermal protection system for the WTs flanges. The effect of different arrangements, heating powers and heating strategies was studied, by which the theoretical basis is provided for a stable and long-term utilization of the WT flange.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical investigation on thermal protection of wind turbine flanges in extremely cold weather

Zhang,

Xu,

2024

HFF

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“…Walia et al [23] optimized the design of offshore wind turbine towers by considering welding and cost into account. Vernardos et al [24] experimentally analyzed a scale-reducing tower model and explored its mechanical properties from the strength, stiffness, and failure mechanism using the fine finite element method. Ma et al [25] analyzed the response of 100 m high prestressed concrete tower under seismic load through time history analysis and found that seismic load should be considered more in detail when designing wind turbines that are supported by concrete towers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reinforced Concrete Wind Turbine Towers: Damage Mode and Model Testing

Liang

et al. 2022

Sustainability

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This study investigates the complex load-bearing mechanism of the reinforced concrete tower of large wind turbines through a structural model test. MTS electro-hydraulic servo loading system was used to load two reinforced concrete tower models for the push-out test. The ultimate bearing capacity of the reinforced concrete tower was found to be 8.894 kN. The test findings revealed that the top of the tower is subjected to unilateral shear as the horizontal load increases. As a result, the concrete strain in the compression zone of the test piece increases to its highest level in the bottom plastic hinge area. The concrete in the compression zone is being crushed in the meantime. The reinforcement achieves its yield point and deforms within the range of plastic failure when subjected to extreme loads. The outcomes of this study serve as a foundation for the running of wind turbines in extreme conditions.

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“…Sandwich solutions comprising an outer and an inner steel tube with concrete or grout in between are also investigated for the lower tower parts, combined with conventional steel tubes for the upper parts. The core between the two shells helps protecting them from local buckling, but only a moderate overall improvement of the structural performance has been observed [75][76][77][78].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Novel Tripod Concept for Onshore Wind Turbine Towers

Gantes

Billi

Güldogan³

et al. 2021

Energies

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A wind turbine tower assembly is presented, consisting of a lower “tripod section” and an upper tubular steel section, aiming at enabling very tall hub heights for optimum exploitation of the wind potential. The foundation consists of sets of piles connected at their top by a common pile cap below each tripod leg. The concept can be applied for the realization of new or the upgrade of existing wind turbine towers. It is adjustable to both onshore and offshore towers, but emphasis is directed towards overcoming the stricter onshore transportability constraints. For that purpose, pre-welded individual tripod parts are transported and are then bolted together during erection, contrary to fully pre-welded tripods that have been used in offshore towers. Alternative constructional details of the tripod joints are therefore proposed that address the fabrication, transportability, on-site erection and maintenance requirements and can meet structural performance criteria. The main structural features are demonstrated by means of a typical case study comprising a 180-m-tall tower, consisting of a 120-m-tall tubular superstructure on top of a 60-m-tall tripod substructure. Realistic cross-sections are calculated, leading to weight and cost estimations, thus demonstrating the feasibility and competitiveness of the concept.

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Experimental and numerical investigation of steel-grout-steel sandwich shells for wind turbine towers

Cited by 19 publications

References 24 publications

Numerical investigation on thermal protection of wind turbine flanges in extremely cold weather

Numerical investigation on thermal protection of wind turbine flanges in extremely cold weather

Reinforced Concrete Wind Turbine Towers: Damage Mode and Model Testing

A Novel Tripod Concept for Onshore Wind Turbine Towers

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