TOWER CONNECTOR

• US 20120137622A1
• Filed: 10/18/2011
• Published: 06/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Claxton Engineering Services Ltd. (KKR Matterhorn Bidco Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Claxton Engineering Services Ltd. (KKR Matterhorn Bidco Ltd.)
• Inventors: Patterson, Rowan Warwick, Marcantonio, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 8,578,681 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 52/651.01
• CPC Class Codes: E02B 17/027 steel structures E02B17/021 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02B 2017/0065 Monopile structures
• CPC Class Codes: E02B 2017/0091 Offshore structures for wind turbines
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 13/22 Foundations specially adapted for wind motors
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2230/608 for adjusting the position or the alignment, e.g. wedges or excenters
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/912 on a tower
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/95 offshore
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 2200/503 the flange being separate from the elements to be connected
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/727 Offshore wind turbines
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/55 Member ends joined by inserted section

Abstract

The invention relates to a connector assembly (20) for joining a main tower (102) to a base structure (104) where the axial alignment of the tower to the base structure needs to be adjustable, and to a method of using such a connector assembly to assemble a tower structure.

Claims

1. A connector assembly for affixing a main tower to a lower base structure, the connector assembly comprising two connector portions, a first one of said connector portions being for affixing at an upper end of said lower base structure and a second one of said connector portions being for affixing at a lower end of said tower, one of said connector portions having a ring and the other of said connector portions having a collar, the ring defining a ring axis and the collar defining a collar axis and having an opening for receiving the ring, and said connector portions including clamping means for clamping engagement of the ring within the collar, wherein:

the ring includes a seat and the collar includes an abutment, the abutment being in contact with the seat for transferring the weight of said tower to said base structure when the ring is clamped within the collar by the clamping means;

the ring has a main body and a flange, the flange extending radially outwards from the main body of the ring and said flange providing said seat; and

the contact between the seat and the abutment is along an interface that permits tilt adjustment of the ring axis and collar axis prior to said clamping engagement of the ring within the collar.

2. A connector assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which said curved surface is curved in a plane that includes either the collar axis or the ring axis.

3. A connector assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the interface permits said tilt adjustment of the ring axis and collar axis in two orthogonal directions.

4. A connector assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which said interface includes at least one surface that lies on an annulus of a spherical surface.

5. A connector assembly as claimed in claim 4, in which said interface includes surfaces on both the seat and abutment that are curved to permit ball and socket type movement of the first and second connector portions.

6. A connector assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the clamping engagement means includes a plurality of movable members mounted in the collar and actuation means for driving the movement of said members to engage with the ring.

7. A connector assembly as claimed in claim 6, in which each movable member comprises a dog movable in a radial direction, the movement of each dog being driven by a corresponding drive dog movable in an axial direction, each dog and drive dog having oppositely inclined surfaces in contact with each other such that the axial movement of a drive dog causes a radial movement in the corresponding dog.

8. A connector assembly as claimed in claim 7, in which:

the collar has an inner wall and an outer wall, the inner wall being adapted to surround the ring with a gap between collar and the ring;

the inner wall has a plurality of apertures each aperture leading to a passage through the inner wall; and

each of said dogs is slidably seated in one of said passages for movement in a radial direction with respect to the ring axis.

9. A connector assembly as claimed in claim 8, in which the flange is bounded by an adjacent channel in the main body of the ring, said channel providing said recess so that the flange is held between the abutment and said movable members when the ring is clamped within the collar.

10. A connector assembly as claimed in claim 6, in which the ring has a recess in which said movable members are located to clamp the ring within the collar.

11. A connector assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the flange has a pair of opposite side surfaces, one of said side surfaces providing said seat and the other of said side surfaces providing a clamping surface for said clamping engagement of the ring within the connector.

12. A connector assembly as claimed in claim 11, in which said side surfaces extend away from the main body of the ring such that said side surfaces are inwardly inclined with respect to each other.

13. A connector assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the flange is a lip that extends around the circumference of the ring.

14. A turbine tower, comprising a main tower for supporting a turbine generator, a lower base structure for supporting said main tower, and a connector assembly for affixing the main tower to the lower base structure, the connector assembly comprising two connector portions, a first one of said connector portions being for affixing at an upper end of said lower base structure and a second one of said connector portions being for affixing at a lower end of said tower, one of said connector portions having a ring and the other of said connector portions having a collar, the ring defining a ring axis and the collar defining a collar axis and having an opening for receiving the ring, and said connector portions including clamping means for clamping engagement of the ring within the collar, wherein:

the ring includes a seat and the collar includes an abutment, the abutment being in contact with the seat for transferring the weight of said tower to said base structure when the ring is clamped within the collar by the clamping means;

the ring has a main body and a flange, the flange extending radially outwards from the main body of the ring and said flange providing said seat;

the contact between the seat and the abutment is along an interface that permits tilt adjustment of the ring axis and collar axis prior to said clamping engagement of the ring within the collar; and

one of the connector portions is affixed to a lower end of the main tower and the other of the connector portions is affixed to an upper end of the lower base structure.

15. A turbine tower as claimed in claim 14, in which the lower base structure stands in a body of water.

16. A turbine tower as claimed in claim 14, in which the first one of said connector portions has the seat and the second one of said connector portions has the abutment.

17. A turbine tower as claimed in claim 14, in which the upper end of the lower base structure is substantially tubular and the first connector portion where this is affixed to the upper end of the base structure is substantially cylindrical.

18. A turbine tower as claimed in claim 14, in which the lower end of the main tower is substantially tubular and the second connector portion where this is affixed to the lower end of the main tower is substantially cylindrical.

19. A method of assembling a turbine tower, the turbine tower comprising a main tower for supporting a turbine generator, a lower base structure for supporting said main tower, and a connector assembly for affixing the main tower to the lower base structure, the connector assembly comprising two connector portions, one of said connector portions having a ring and the other of said connector portions having a collar, the ring defining a ring axis and the collar defining a collar axis, the ring having a main body and a flange, the flange extending radially outwards from the main body of the ring and the collar and ring having mating surfaces shaped so as to allow tilt adjustment of said axes, said mating surfaces including a surface of said flange and said connector portions including clamping means, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

affixing a first one of said connector portions to a supporting surface of the earth;

joining a first one of said connector portions at an upper end of said lower base structure;

joining a second one of said connector portions at a lower end of said main tower;

bringing the free ends of the of the ring and the collar together until said mating surfaces come into contact;

adjusting the tilt of said axes to achieve a desired orientation of the main tower with respect to vertical;

using the clamping means to clamp the ring within the collar in order to fix the orientation of the main tower with respect to vertical.

20. A method of assembling a turbine tower as claimed in claim 19, in which the method comprises the steps of:

forming the connector portion for connection to the lower base structure with a rim that is relatively stronger than the upper end of the base structure;

joining said first one of said connector portions to the upper end of the base structure prior to said affixing of said connector portions to a supporting surface of the earth, such that the rim is at an upper end of said joined base structure and connector portion; and

driving the joined base structure and connector portion into the supporting surface of the earth using force applied to the rim at said upper end of said joined base structure.