METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A CONNECTING DEVICE FOR A TOWER-LIKE STRUCTURE AND TOWER-LIKE STRUCTURE

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a connecting device for a tower-like structure, in particular an offshore wind turbine, wherein the connecting device comprises a plurality of connecting elements, in particular planar connecting elements, which are to be arranged between an upper component of the structure and a lower component of the structure when a slip joint is produced and, for the purpose of load transfer between the upper component and the lower component, are to be positioned next to one another in the peripheral direction about the longitudinal axis and/or in the longitudinal direction thereof with respect to a central longitudinal axis of the structure, wherein data relating to an actual size of the lower component and of the upper component is provided, whereupon the shape, the position and/or the condition of individual or several as well as in particular all connecting elements of the connecting device are least in part determined in a manner specific to the connecting element in order to optimise the load transfer and/or in order to compensate for any deviations of the lower component and/or of the upper component from their desired size, and the connecting elements, that have been manufactured in advance and/or subsequently, are provided for assembly on at least one of the components. The invention also relates to: a tower-like structure, in particular part of an offshore wind turbine; and a wind turbine, in particular an offshore wind turbine.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a connection apparatus for a tower-like structure, the connection apparatus including a plurality of connection elements which, when a slip joint is produced, are arranged between an upper component of the tower-like structure and a lower component of the tower-like structure, and which for the purpose of the load transfer between the upper component and the lower component are positioned beside each other in a circumferential direction about a longitudinal axis and/or in a longitudinal direction thereof with respect to a longitudinal center axis of the structure, the method comprising the steps of: providing data relating to an actual size of the lower component and the upper component, determining at least partially a shape, a position and/or a nature of individual or a plurality of the connection elements of the connection apparatus in a manner specific to the connection element in order to optimize the load transfer and/or to compensate for any deviations of the lower component and/or the upper component from a desired size thereof; and providing connection elements which have already been produced beforehand and/or are subsequently produced for assembly on at least one of the components.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein for the determination of the respective connection elements, the shape of a gap which is provided in the installed state of the components is determined between the upper component and lower component on the basis of the actual sizes of the two components.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thickness of respective connection elements is selected from a predetermined grid dimension.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connection-element-specific determination is carried out by a EDP apparatus.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the determination is carried out taking into account an assumed loading of the connection elements.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein for the connection-element-specific determination, data regarding a desired size of the lower and/or upper component, in addition to any deviations from respective desired sizes, are provided.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data of the upper and/or lower component represent or depict at least the height in the connection region, the conicity, the ovality, the surface curvature and/or a weld seam elevation.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connection elements which are used for the structure are colored and/or characterized by an information carrier.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one connection element is prefabricated and is adapted by the connection-element-specific determination.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connection elements are secured to a lower component and/or an upper component.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the surface of one of the components and/or one of the connection elements is coated.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the connection elements are arranged on the component whilst it rests on the outer covering face thereof on a roller system.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10, further including a pressing apparatus which presses at least one of the connection elements with a predefined force on the respective component.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data relating to the actual size of the components are obtained by a laser-based measurement apparatus and/or by an image analysis on the basis of images produced by the components.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connection elements are cast in rectangular molds and are subsequently tempered and/or cleaned.

16. A tower-like structure comprising a connection apparatus which is produced as claimed in claim 1.

17. A wind turbine, comprising a tower-like structure as claimed in claim 16.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of connection elements are plate-like.

19. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the predetermined grid dimension is in between 10 mm and 120 mm.

20. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the determination is carried out taking into account an assumed loading of the connection elements as a result of a load transfer between a lower component and an upper component, wherein respective 2D and/or 3D models are used for the components.

21. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein at least one of respective surfaces which are brought into connection with each other is/are pretreated, cleaned, surface-activated and/or coated with a bonding agent and/or an adhesive.

22. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the surface of one of the components and/or one of the connection elements is coated in a friction-reducing manner with PTFE.

Description

[0039] Other advantages and details of the invention can be derived from the following description of the Figures. In the schematic drawings:

[0040] FIG. 1 shows an object according to the invention,

[0041] FIG. 2 shows a portion of the object according to the invention according to FIG. 1 as a sectioned and perspective view,

[0042] FIG. 3 shows another object according to the invention as a sectioned view,

[0043] FIG. 4 shows a cut-out of the object according to FIG. 3,

[0044] FIG. 5 and

[0045] FIG. 6 show views of different measurement operations,

[0046] FIG. 7 shows a portion of a production method of an object according to the invention.

[0047] Individual technical features of the exemplary embodiments described below may also in combination with the features of the independent claim leads to further developments according to the invention. As long as it is advantageous, functionally identical components are given identical reference numerals.

[0048] A wind turbine 2 according to the invention comprises a lower component 6 which is installed vertically on a horizontally extending underlying surface 4 and on which an upper component 8 which has at the upper end thereof a pod 10 having rotors (FIG. 1) is placed. The wind turbine 2 and the tower-like structure which comprises a connection apparatus which cannot yet be seen and the lower component and the upper component 6 or 8 have a longitudinal center axis 14 about which the connection elements 12 are arranged. The longitudinal axis 14 (cf. FIG. 2) extends perpendicularly to the underlying surface 4.

[0049] In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1 or 2, the wind turbine 2 or the tower-like structure comprises five rings of in each case a plurality of connection elements 12 which for the purpose of load transfer are arranged between an upper outer surface of the lower component 6 and a lower inner surface of the component 8 and which compensate for the production-related tolerances of these components with respect to the load transfer.

[0050] For the determination of the thicknesses of the connection elements 12, after the production of the lower and upper component 6, 8, the actual sizes thereof at least in the respective conically constructed portion thereof were determined, whereupon in an EDP apparatus, after providing the measurement data, the optimum size for the connection elements including the positioning thereof was determined. In the present case according to FIG. 2, this results in the thickness of the connection elements 12 of the rings which are arranged one above the other being constructed differently. In such an optimization calculation, it can additionally be taken as a basis that a primary load transfer in the center of the connection region, that is to say, remote from the upper edge and the lower edge of the conical portion of the lower component 6 and the upper component 8, is constructed to be thicker in order to transmit more loads at that location.

[0051] In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 3, which shows another exemplary embodiment of a tower-like structure according to the invention, the angle of the cone of the upper component 8 deviates as a result of tolerances in an undesirable manner from the angle of the cone of the lower component 6 so that between them in the illustrated operating position a gap which becomes larger downward in the direction toward the underlying surface is formed. Accordingly, a larger thickness of the connection elements 12 is also produced at the lower end of the connection region 16 which is generally limited in an upward direction by an upper edge of the uppermost connection element(s) 12 and which is generally limited in a downward direction by the lower edge of the lowest connection elements 12. As a result of the compensation of the tolerances, as a result of the connection apparatus according to the invention the desired load transfer is produced between the upper component and the lower component.

[0052] In the detailed view according to FIG. 4, it can be seen that the thickness of the lower connection elements 12 is approximately twice as large as the thickness of the upper connection elements 12. The thickness is the spacing of the arrow tips of respective arrows 18 which are perpendicular on the surfaces which are located relative to the lower component 6 or upper component 8. In this instance, the thickness is the thickness of the connection elements in the loaded state thereof. Of course, the thickness in the non-loaded case, in which the connection elements 12 are not deformed, may be larger. In this regard, preferably and generally for the determination of the connection elements, for example, by means of an optimization calculation, loaded connection elements 12 are taken as a basis, but for the production and/or provision the thicknesses of unloaded components are advantageously set out.

[0053] In order to determine the actual dimensions of the components 6, 8, mobile measurement apparatuses 18 according to FIG. 5 or 6 can be used. To this end, a laser measurement apparatus 18 can from a region outside the upper component 8 in this instance scan the inner surface thereof in the cone. Alternatively, a measurement apparatus 18 can be introduced into the upper component 8, wherein the measurement apparatus is guided in such a manner on a rod 20 that, as a result of the longitudinal and pivoting movement thereof, the inner side of the upper component 8 is also scanned in the region of the cone thereof. The data recorded by the measurement apparatus 18 are, for example, wirelessly and via the internet transferred into an EDP apparatus 26 in which the thicknesses of the respective connection elements and the position thereof are then determined. As long as different materials are available to produce the connection elements 12, the EDP apparatus 26 in the context of optimizing the load transfer between the upper component 8 and the lower component 6 can also predetermine the material of the connection elements 12. After the production thereof, preferably in a polyurethane casting method, the connection elements 12 are cleaned, surface-treated and coated and subsequently moved with a carrier apparatus 22 to the position provided for this purpose in the component 8, where they are adhesively bonded. The installation of the connection elements 12 is preferably carried out in a lower region of the inner side so that the component 8 for the installation of all the connection elements must be rotated by means of a roller system 24 in a circumferential direction about the longitudinal axis 14, which is perpendicular with respect to the underlying surface during operation, of the component. After the installation of the connection apparatus, the upper component 8 which is in this instance in the form of a transition device can be moved to its place of use and installed at that location.