Section of concrete

• US 10,113,327 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2015
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Holcim Technology, Ltd. (Holcim Limited)
• Original Assignee: Lafarge SA (Holcim Limited)
• Inventors: Dobrusky, Svatopluk, Chanvillard, Gilles
• Primary Examiner(s): Ference, James M
• Application Number:
  US15/531,924
• Publication Number:
  US 20170314285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,065 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 5/08 Members specially adapted to be used in prestressed constructions production of reinforced objects in general B28B23/00; prestressed structures produced in situ E04G21/12
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 12/12 of concrete or other stone-like material, with or without internal or external reinforcements, e.g. with metal coverings, with permanent form elements
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 12/16 Prestressed structures
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 12/185 with identical elements
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 12/342 Arrangements for stacking tower sections on top of each other E04H12/344 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 13/10 Assembly of wind motors; Arrangements for erecting wind motors
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 13/20 Arrangements for mounting or supporting wind motors; Masts or towers for wind motors
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2230/60 Assembly methods
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/728 Onshore wind turbines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A section of concrete intended to form a mast for a windmill, the section including a first portion including a first flange, a second portion including a second flange, a prestressing device including at least one visible part located between the first flange and the second flange, a first attaching device arranged to be connected to the first flange, and/or a second attaching device arranged to be connected to the second flange.

Claims

1. A section of concrete adapted to form a mast of a windmill, said section of concrete defining an internal volume, said section of concrete having an outer face and an internal face opposite the outer face, said internal face arranged facing the internal volume, said section of concrete comprising:

a first portion arranged to exert a bearing force on a lower adjacent part of the windmill, said first portion comprising a first flange extending in the internal volume substantially transversely from the internal face of the section of concrete,

a second portion arranged to form a bearing support for an upper adjacent part of the windmill, said second portion comprising a second flange extending in the internal volume substantially transversely from the internal face of the section of concrete,

a prestressing device arranged to apply a stress between the first portion of the section of concrete and the second portion of the section of concrete, said prestressing device comprising at least one part extending outside the section of concrete and within the internal volume, said part located between the first flange of the first portion of the section of concrete and the second flange of the second portion of the section of concrete,

a first attaching device arranged to be connected to the first flange and arranged to be used to attach the section of concrete on the lower adjacent part of the windmill, and/or

a second attaching device arranged to be connected to the second flange and arranged to be used to attach the section of concrete to the upper adjacent part of the windmill.

2. The section of concrete of claim 1, wherein the concrete is an ultra-high performance concrete or an ultra-high performance concrete reinforced with fibres and/or with steel grids.

3. The section of concrete of claim 1, wherein the prestressing device comprises a plurality of holes formed on the first flange and on the second flange, and cables and/or bars.

4. The section of concrete of claim 3, wherein each hole comprises a recess formed on the surface of the first flange on the opposite side of the second flange and/or a recess formed on the surface of the second flange on the opposite side of the first flange.

5. The section of concrete of claim 1, wherein the first portion and/or the second portion comprise a reinforcing element.

6. The section of concrete of claim 1, wherein the section of concrete is a modular section of concrete comprising a plurality of segments.

7. The section of concrete of claim 1, wherein the section of concrete is a one-piece section of concrete.

8. The section of concrete of claim 1, wherein the first attaching device comprises a plurality of holes formed on the first flange, and bolts and/or threaded bars arranged to traverse said holes formed on the first flange, and/or the second attaching device comprises a plurality of holes formed on the second flange, and bolts and/or threaded bars arranged to traverse said holes formed on the second flange.

9. The section of concrete of claim 8, wherein the prestressing device comprises a plurality of holes formed on the first flange and on the second flange, and cables and/or bars, and wherein the plurality of holes for the prestressing device formed on one of the first and second flanges form a first set of holes and the plurality of holes for said first or second attaching device on said one of the first and second flanges form a second set of holes, the holes of each of the first set of holes and of the second set of holes being located at different distances from a free end of the said one of the first and second flanges.

10. The section of concrete of claim 9, wherein the holes of the first set of holes are farther from the free end of said one of the first and second flanges than the holes of the second set of holes.

11. The section of concrete of claim 1, wherein the first attaching device comprises portions connected to the prestressing device, said portions of the first attaching device protruding beyond the first flange and being arranged to traverse the lower adjacent part of the windmill, and/or the second attaching device comprises portions connected to the prestressing device, said portions of the second attaching device protruding beyond the second flange and being arranged to traverse the upper adjacent part of the windmill.

12. A mast of concrete adapted to form a windmill, the mast of concrete comprising a set of sections of concrete, at least one section of concrete of the set of sections of concrete defining an internal volume, said least one section of concrete having an outer face and an internal face opposite the outer face, said internal face arranged facing the internal volume, said least one section of concrete comprising:

a first portion, exerting a bearing force on a lower adjacent part of the windmill, said first portion comprising a first flange extending in the internal volume substantially transversely from the internal face of the least one section of concrete,

a second portion forming a bearing support for an upper adjacent part of the windmill, said second portion comprising a second flange extending in the internal volume substantially transversely from the internal face of the least one section of concrete,

a prestressing device arranged to apply a stress between the first portion of the least one section of concrete and the second portion of the least one section of concrete, said prestressing device comprising at least one part extending outside the least one section of concrete and within the internal volume, said at least one part located between the first flange of the first portion of the least one section of concrete and the second flange of the second portion of the least one section of concrete,

a first attaching device connected to the first flange and attaching the least one section of concrete on the lower adjacent part of the windmill, and/or

a second attaching device connected to the second flange and attaching the least one section of concrete to the upper adjacent part of the windmill.

13. A method of constructing a mast of concrete adapted to form a windmill, the method comprising:

providing a set of sections of concrete, said set of sections of concrete comprising at least one section of concrete defining an internal volume, said at least one section of concrete having an outer face and an internal face opposite the outer face, said internal face arranged facing the internal volume, said at least one section of concrete comprising;

a first portion, arranged to exert a bearing force on a lower adjacent part of the windmill, said first portion comprising a first flange extending in the internal volume substantially transversely from the internal face of the at least one section of concrete,

a second portion arranged to form a bearing support for an upper adjacent part of the windmill, said second portion comprising a second flange extending in the internal volume substantially transversely from the internal face of the at least one section of concrete,

a prestressing device arranged to apply a stress between the first portion and the second portion, said prestressing device comprising at least one part extending outside the at least one section of concrete and within the internal volume, said at least one part located between the first flange of the first portion of the at least one section of concrete and the second flange of the second portion of the at least one section of concrete,

a first attaching device arranged to be connected to the first flange and arranged to be used to attach the at least one section of concrete on the lower adjacent part of the windmill, and/or

a second attaching device arranged to be connected to the second flange and arranged to be used to attach the at least one section of concrete to the upper adjacent part of the windmill, and

constructing the mast on an installation site by stacking the sections of the set of sections, one section of the set of sections on top of another section of the set of sections.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising transporting the sections of the set of sections transported from a production site to the installation site as one entire section.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein during the constructing of the mast, the upper adjacent part of the windmill is attached to the at least one section of concrete using the second attaching device and/or the at least one section of concrete is attached to the lower adjacent part of the windmill using the first attaching device.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising applying, on a production site of the at least one section of concrete, to the at least one section of concrete, a first value of said stress between the first portion of the at least one section of concrete and the second portion of the at least one section of concrete using the prestressing device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first attaching device comprises portions connected to the prestressing device, said portions of the first attaching device protruding beyond the first flange and being arranged to traverse the lower adjacent part of the windmill, and/or the second attaching device comprises portions connected to the prestressing device, said portions of the second attaching device protruding beyond the second flange and being arranged to traverse the upper adjacent part of the windmill, and wherein the method further comprises applying, on the installation site, to said at least one section, a second value of said stress between the first portion of the at least one section of concrete and the second portion of the at least one section of concrete using the first attaching device and/or the second attaching device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the second value of said stress is the same or greater than the first value of said stress.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the second value of said stress is applied after the upper adjacent part of the windmill is positioned on said at least one section of concrete.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising adjusting a value of said stress applied between the first portion of the at least one section of concrete and the second portion of the at least one section of concrete of the mast during a service life of the mast.