FLANGE ASSEMBLY, A COUPLING FLANGE AND AN ASSEMBLY METHOD TEHREOF

• US 20100117353A1
• Filed: 11/02/2007
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inner Mongolia Golden Ocean New Energy Technology Corporation Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Inner Mongolia Golden Ocean New Energy Technology Corporation Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ma, Renle
• Granted Patent: US 8,322,757 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 285/64
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 12/085 Details of flanges for tubular masts
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 12/28 Chimney stacks, e.g. free-standing, or similar ducts chimneys as part of buildings E04F17/02
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 13/20 Arrangements for mounting or supporting wind motors; Masts or towers for wind motors
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2260/301 Retaining bolts or nuts
• 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 flange assembly, a coupling flange, and its assembling method thereof are disclosed. Stiffening plates (2) are located on the front side of the flange plate (1). Equilibrium contact surfaces (211) are set up on the front end surfaces of stiffening plates. The pressure stress bending moment created by the equilibrium contact surfaces offsets the pulling stress on the steel pipe wall and reduces the hoop stress of the steel pipe. This provides reliable bonding strength and ensures that the tensile rigidity remains unchanged under circulating dynamic load. This coupling flange is especially suitable for the connection of large-scale steel pipes such as the cylindrical pylons of large-scale wind power generators. The coupling flange can save steel consumption, reduce machining difficulty, and thus greatly reduce the manufacturing and assembling costs.

Claims

1-40. -40. (canceled)

41. A flange assembly for coupling a plurality of steel pipes, comprising:

a flange plate and several stiffening plates, wherein several bolt holes are set up on the flange plate wherein the stiffening plates are located on the frontal side of the flange plate along the axial direction of the steel pipes towards the coupling end surface; and

equilibrium contact surfaces are set up at the front surfaces of the stiffening plates, wherein in the assembled state, the coupling end surfaces of the steel pipes and the equilibrium contact surfaces of both abutting flange assemblies contact each other.

42. The flange assembly according to claim 41, wherein said equilibrium contact surfaces are distributed on the local parts of front end surface for stiffening plates, away from the center.

43. The flange assembly according to claim 42, wherein the coupling end surface of said steel pipe is located on one side of said bolt holes, and said equilibrium contact surfaces are located on the front end surfaces on the other side of the bolt holes opposite to the coupling end surface of the other steel pipe.

44. The flange assembly according to claim 43, wherein non-contact surfaces other than equilibrium contact surfaces on the inner sides of front end surfaces of said stiffening plates are indented, and said equilibrium contact surfaces extrude out of front end surfaces and are level to the coupling end surface of the steel pipe.

45. The flange assembly according to claim 41, wherein said flange plate is welded to the wall of the steel pipes so that coupling end surfaces of both steel pipes are directly pressed together, and the stiffening plates are welded and fixed to the front surface of the flange plate and the contacted part of the wall of steel pipes.

46. The flange assembly according to claim 41, wherein said assembly comprises a flange pipe, and the axial end of this flange pipe is a welding end that has the same pipe diameter as that of the coupling end surface of steel pipes and the other end is a coupling end, the flange plate is welded to the wall of the flange pipe, the welding end of the flange pipe is welded to the coupling end surface of the steel pipes so that the coupling end surfaces of both steel pipes are pressed together through the coupling end of the flange pipe.

47. The flange assembly according to claim 41, wherein said flange plate and stiffening plates are located on the inner side of steel pipes, forming an internal flange assembly.

48. A coupling flange for joining upper and lower steel pipes, comprising:

an upper flange assembly and a lower flange assembly;

the upper flange assembly comprises an upper flange plate and several upper stiffening plates;

the lower flange assembly comprises a lower flange plate and several lower stiffening plates;

bolt holes are set up on the upper and lower flange plates on a one-on-one basis wherein the upper stiffening plates are set up on the front surface of the upper flange plate along the axis of the upper steel pipe towards its coupling end surface, and the lower stiffening plates are set up on the front surface of the lower flange plate along the axis of the lower steel pipe towards its coupling end surface;

said stiffening plates are provided on a one-on-one basis;

upper equilibrium contact surfaces are set up on the front end surface of the upper stiffening plates and lower equilibrium contact surfaces are set up on the front end surface of the lower stiffening plates, said upper and lower equilibrium contact surfaces are connected, and the coupling end surfaces of the upper and lower steel pipes are connected.

49. The flange assembly according to claim 48, wherein the upper edges of the lower stiffening plates is above the upper edge of the lower steel pipe, and there is a lead angle on the upper edge of any of said stiffening plates near the said lower steel pipe for easy connection of the upper flange and the lower flange.