Tower connector

• US 8,578,681 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2011
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Katcheves, Basil
• Assistant Examiner(s): IHEZIE, JOSHUA K
• Application Number:
  US13/275,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20120137622A1
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 526/510.1, 526/510.7, 528/34, 528/48, 523/01, 403/292, 403/293, 403/336, 405/202
• US Class Current: 52/848
• 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 disclosure relates to a connector assembly (20) for joining a main tower (102) to a base structure (114) 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 connector portion of said connector portions being for affixing at an upper end of said lower base structure, and

a second connector portion 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 one or more clamps 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 one or more clamps;

the ring has a main body and a flange, the main body having a circumference and the flange extending around said circumference and radially outwards from the main body of the ring, the flange having a first inclined surface, a projection adjacent to the first inclined surface, and a second inclined clamping surface adjacent to the projection and said first inclined surface 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, the opening of the collar being arranged to receive the ring after said affixing of said connector portions to respective ones of the main tower and the lower base structure.

2. The connector assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which said interface includes at least one surface that is curved to permit ball and socket type movement between the first and second connector portions, wherein said curved surface is curved in a plane that includes either the collar axis or the ring axis.

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

4. The 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. The 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. The connector assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the one or more clamps includes a plurality of movable members mounted in the collar and an actuation member for driving the movement of said plurality of movable members to engage with the ring.

7. The connector assembly as claimed in claim 6, in which each movable member of the plurality of movable members comprises a respective 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. The 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 respective 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. The 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 passages so that the flange is held between the abutment and said movable members when the ring is clamped within the collar.

10. The 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. The 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. The 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. The 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 one or more clamps for clamping engagement of the ring within the collar, and 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 one or more clamps,

the ring has a main body and a flange, the main body having a circumference and the flange extending around said circumference and radially outwards from the main body of the ring, the flange having a first inclined surface, a projection adjacent to the first inclined surface, and a second inclined clamping surface adjacent to the projection and said first inclined surface 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. The turbine tower as claimed in claim 14, in which the lower base structure is configured to stand in a body of water.

16. The 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. The 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 is substantially cylindrical, where the first connector portion is affixed to the upper end of the base structure.

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

19. A method of assembling a turbine tower, comprising:

affixing a lower base structure of the turbine tower to a supporting surface of the earth;

joining a first connector portion of two connector portions of the turbine tower at an upper end of said lower base structure, wherein

a connector assembly comprises the two connector portions, wherein

one of the two connector portions comprises a ring, wherein

the ring comprises a main body and a flange the main body having a circumference, wherein

 

the ring defines a ring axis,

 

a surface of the flange defines a mating surface of the ring, and

 

the flange extends around the circumference radially outwards from the main body of the ring, the flange having a first inclined surface, a projection adjacent to the first inclined surface, and a second clamping surface adjacent to the projection and said first inclined surface providing said mating surface of the ring, and

the other of the two connector portions comprises a collar, wherein

the collar defines a collar axis, and

the collar comprises a mating surface configured to mate with the mating surface of the ring, wherein the mating surface of the ring and the mating surface of the collar are shaped to allow tilt adjustment of the ring axis and the collar axis, and wherein

the two connector portions are configured to clamp together using one or more clamps;

joining a second connector portion of said two connector portions at a lower end of a main tower of the turbine tower, wherein

the main tower is configured to support a turbine generator;

after joining the first connector portion and joining the second connector portion, bringing free ends of the two connector portions together, wherein bringing the free ends together comprises causing a mating surface of the ring of one of the two connector portions to come into contact with a mating surface of the collar of the other of the two connector portions;

adjusting a tilt of the ring axis and the collar axis to achieve a desired orientation of the main tower with respect to vertical; and

using the one or more clamps to clamp the ring within the collar in order to fix the orientation of the main tower with respect to vertical.

20. The method of assembling the turbine tower as claimed in claim 19, wherein:

a rim of the first connector portion is relatively stronger than the upper end of the base structure; and

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

wherein

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