WO2016119035A1

WO2016119035A1 - Structural material tower and assembly method

Info

Publication number: WO2016119035A1
Application number: PCT/BR2016/050017
Authority: WO
Inventors: Cristiano Ferreira De SÁ; Marcos ONISHI; Daniel Massashi KAKO; Péricles Brasiliense FUSCO
Original assignee: Proacqua Construções E Comércio Ltda.
Priority date: 2015-01-30
Filing date: 2016-01-29
Publication date: 2016-08-04

Abstract

The invention relates to a structural material tower and to an assembly method, the tower being produced by civil engineering technology, and comprising at least one lower tower segment (302) and one upper tower segment (304) telescopically arranged, the segments being joined by reverse behaviour double nodes. The tower can comprise one or more intermediary tower segments (303, 501, 502, 503), all the tower segments being concentrically assembled on site on the ground. The reverse behaviour double nodes comprise a protruding annular band (310, 402) at the lower end of the tower segment and a recessed annular band (307, 404) at the upper end of the tower segment, these bands being compressed against each other and firmly attached by pretensioned steel elements (506). Also provided is an auxiliary winch (308) mounted at the upper end of the upper tower segment (304) for hoisting, once the tower is assembled, the nacelle (309) containing the generator and associated components, as well as the propeller (400).

Description

TOWER OF STRUCTURAL MATERIALS AND ASSEMBLY METHOD

Application field

[001] The present invention relates to wind power generation systems and, more particularly, to the support towers of wind-driven turbines, said towers being made of structural material according to construction techniques.

State of the Art

[002] Wind power generation is based on the use of wind-driven turbines mounted on tops of tower towers whose heights tend to be higher and higher. Interest in increasing the height of the towers stems from the fact that wind speeds increase with their distance from the ground and that the power generated by wind turbines varies with the wind speed cube. Towers with heights of up to one hundred (100) meters can be built entirely with concrete structures, but for this it is necessary to use auxiliary cranes with large load capacity and with heights higher than the tower to be built itself, such cranes which make it impossible to increase the height of concrete towers economically. Higher towers, in the state of the art, have mixed structures in which the highest parts are built with metal structures.

[003] Wind turbine designs are internationally regulated by the standards of "INTERNATIONAL STANDARD IEC 61400-1 -" Wind Turbines - Design requirements ", International Electrotechnical Commission, Geneve, 2005.

[004] Wind power generation technology and prospects for its use are described in "Milton Pinto - Wind Power Fundamentals, LTC Technical and Scientific Books, Rio de Janeiro, 2013". The Brazilian potential for wind power generation is reported in the publication 'ATLAS DO BRASILEIRO WIND POTENTIAL - Eletrobrás, 2001'.

[005] In constructions subject to wind action, the stresses on their structures grow rapidly with height. For this reason, the wind towers are built with an approximate trunk-conical shape, and with a continuously variable diameter that decreases towards their top.

[006] Wind power towers can be built on land or in shallow water, offshore or in large lakes. In each particular case, the support base is adapted to the specific environmental conditions of the building, but the building procedures of the raised parts are almost always of the same nature. The base diameters of the towers, entirely or partially of concrete, are in the order of a dozen meters, and the lengths seek to reach and even exceed a hundred meters.

[007] As wind towers are usually located in isolated locations, concrete towers are constructed with prestressed concrete parts, prefabricated in existing industrial facilities in the region where the work was done, and there is no economic viability in the construction of concrete towers. molded on site. These prefabricated parts are transported to the site by road transport due to the particularities of this type of construction. The dimensions of prefabricated parts are limited by the size of road transport vehicles. In principle, in road transport without beaters, the largest allowable width for the transport vehicle is approximately 3 meters.

[008] At the tower construction site, in the state of the art, the prefabricated parts are assembled into modular cylindrical or trunk-conical staves, consolidated by circular transverse prestressing, with heights of one to three meters. Thereafter, these cylindrical or trunk-conical modules are longitudinally assembled on top of each other and consolidated by prestressing longitudinal reinforcement, constituting tower segments with lengths of the order of 10 to 20 meters. Alternatively, industrially prefabricated parts are constructed in the form of elongated cylindrical sectors, with lengths of the order of 10 to 20 meters and widths of the order of 3 meters, which are consolidated on the jobsite by transverse prestressing, thus being constructed. the desired tower segments.

[009] An overview of the state of the art in the construction of concrete wind towers can be found on the Internet in the document "Concrete Towers for Onshore and Offshore Wind Farms - Conceptual Design Studies" -54 pgs. The Concrete Center, UK, 2007. In this document, Figure 1.6, on page 21, clearly shows that the difficulty in the usual methods of constructing cylindrical or trunk-conical concrete towers is the need to employ high height cranes for mounting the towers by overlapping their tower segments on top of each other.

In the same document, figure 1.8, located on page 23, shows that in the concrete tower segments, at their ends are placed metallic annular boxes, made of "heavy plates" of stainless steel, which are solidified to the walls of tower segments. These annular housings are intended for the dual function of anchoring the longitudinal prestressing cables of the tower segments, which are external to the concrete walls, and for anchoring the tie bars of the two neighboring tower segments, ensuring that the ends of the walls come into direct contact, end to end.

[011] In the prior art there is no efficient technology for the construction of telescopic concrete wind towers with cylindrical tower segments of decreasing diameters as they are to be placed higher in the tower. In the prior art there are only telescopic methods of lifting a single concrete element, usually represented by a water tank.

[012] To this end, within the modern professional literature on the design and construction of reinforced and intended concrete structures, publications may be cited:

[013] FUSCO, PB - Technique of reinforcing concrete structures, Ed. Pini, São Paulo. l ^the ed. 1995 ^to 2 ed. 2013

FUSCO, P.B. - Concrete structures. Tangential requests. Ed. Pini, Sao Paulo, 2008.

[014] In order to understand the state of the art in the construction of wind power towers, it should be clarified that, from a structural engineering point of view, the towers function as vertical balance beams, ie as bars. straight lines embedded in their foundation "knot".

In general, in the construction of structures made of prefabricated bars of any material, the connecting cross sections of the bars are treated, in the theoretical model, as if they were virtual points of union of these bars, which theoretically are treated as lines, constituting what is meant by "nodes" of the structure. However, these "knots" really are formed by localized structural systems, built even with material different from the material used in the prefabrication of the structure bars.

[016] In the case of concrete constructions, when the parts of the structure are entirely prefabricated, there is no equivalent feature to the use of welding in metal structures, and the monolithic direct bonding of structural elements is not feasible. all types of forces, normal forces, shear forces, bending forces and torsional forces could be transmitted efficiently. When prefabricated structural parts of concrete are employed, the apparently direct forms of connection of such prefabricated parts, such as bridges, the structure nodes are always of simple articulated relative support, with beams supported by columns by means of support devices, or in the case of industrial buildings, with beams supported by short consoles protruding from the pillar faces, there being no monolithic solidarity of the elements that are joined.

[017] In the case of thin, flat or cylindrical concrete wall segments, the monolithic direct coupling may be performed using longitudinal or transverse prestressing which compresses the cross sections of the prefabricated parts. This kind of bonding can be as sturdy as the solidarity walls themselves.

However, if what is to be applied is a force parallel to the median plane of the wall but not contained in that median plane, as in the case of prestressing forces applied to protruding tabs on the wall, this application produces bending forces. in the support flap, which are transmitted integrally to the support wall, spreading along that wall, until it is balanced by a rigid element connected to the foundation of the structure, or by the foundation itself. In such a case, the wall must be strong enough to withstand the bending to be applied to it, and sufficiently rigid to prevent a flexural rotation of the loading flap that could cause functional ruin of the construction.

[019] A proposed solution to this problem has been published by Concrete Center UK 2007, which consists of the use of rigid stainless steel housings at the ends of trunk-conical tower segments into which the ends of the concrete wall are embedded. . The use of stem-conical tower segments resulted from the need for both contact segments to have the same diameter in the contact sections. The use of rigid metal rings stems from the The need to balance the flexure caused by the eccentricity of the prestressing cables of one of the segments, relative to the average wall surface of that same segment, could be balanced by the flexion caused by the eccentricity of the prestressing cables of the other segment, relative to the average surface area. your own wall. The proposal published by Concrete Center UK 2007 showed the need for rigid metal rings to prevent bending in the concrete walls of the two tower segments joined by these steel housings. However, since the boxes at both ends that join have the same diameter, the proposed construction method does not allow telescopic lifting of the tower segments, as both boxes are located inside the tower.

[020] In the case of steel structures, the direct connection of the faces of the contact parts, ie the direct connection of the end nodes of the contacting parts, may be done directly by welding or, indirectly, by welding. through specialized local joining systems with parts screwed together and with the frame bars.

[021] In the case of concrete structures, the monolithic joining of the ends of different entirely prefabricated parts would require the use of "special joining parts", which would become a kind of "rigid double knots" of the structure. thus formed. Such special joining pieces, which could have quite significant dimensions, would now play the theoretical role of a "double knot" by being simultaneously connected to the end nodes of the two independently rigid pieces and eliminating all degrees. of relative freedom between these ends, making the union he held monolithic.

[022] In a simplified interpretation of this three-dimensional structural problem of prefab bonding, one can analyze the structure as if it were a straight beam made of prefabricated segments.

[023] In the construction of concrete towers according to the state of the art, the double knot is formed by two steel boxes, and has what can be understood as a direct structural behavior, because when two tower segments tend to to compress against each other, the endpoints of the double "knot" also tend to approach each other and, vice versa, when the tower segments tend to move apart, as in the lifting situation with the With the aid of external cranes, the double knot end nodes also tend to move away from each other.

On the contrary, in the case of telescopic constructions, telescopic operation requires that the connecting nodes have the opposite behavior, that is, the "reverse behavior" characterized by the fact that the ends of the tower segments are away when they tend to be compressed together, and vice versa, where tower segments tend to be pulled when the reverse-knot double-node end nodes tend to compress.

[025] The double node of reverse behavior is the typical node of telescopic behavior.

[026] The method of solidifying tower segments with direct behavior nodes was re-presented by Concrete Center in 2007, with the same proposal recommended by Concrete itself. Center, in its 2005 publication, ISBN 1-904818-34-X which, in its figure 2, on page 5, shows the use of very rigid metal ring housings for joining tower segments of the same diameter. This solution, of course, cannot be applied to lifting by a telescopic method since both metal tabs are disposed within the tower cross section.

[027] In order to analyze the construction of wind towers, it is important to note that, in principle, the tower structures function as if they were cantilevered beams in the base, supporting their own weight and the weight of the turbine placed on top, besides the wind action on the turbine and on the tower body itself. However, the tower structure is not a usual beam with massive cross section. The tower structure, formed by the tower segments, constitutes a structural system classified as thin shell, which presents the risk of ruin due to transverse instability of the wall of its constituent rings, due to the high torsional forces existing in its Thin walls.

[028] Thus, in the state of the art, to eliminate this intrinsic strength deficiency of the structural system of thin-walled towers, the necessary transverse stiffening of tower segments, as shown in the documents published by Concrete Center UK, 2007 / 2005, is also realized through the structure formed by the two metallic annular boxes existing in the union of the two ends of the different tower segments, making the structural system of the tower simulate the structural behavior of the massive cross section beams.

[029] In summary, in the state of the art, the structural safety of concrete wind towers is ensured by the transverse stiffening of their tower segments, given by the straight-acting double knot that connects the ends of the tower segments. Note that the straight-acting double knot prevents the telescopic elevation of the tower segments and requires that the tower segments overlap with the use of external cranes higher than the height of the tower itself. be built.

[030] Fig. 1 exemplifies one of the basic procedures which, according to the state of the art, are employed in the construction of concrete towers for wind power generation. For the construction of the tower with full height 109, the prefabricated elements 102, in the form of a semiconic or semi-cylindrical sector, are taken to the jobsite by road transport 104 and are joined therein by State of the art procedures, forming trunk staves. 105, height 106, which in turn are joined by usual procedures forming 107 tower segments 107 height. In general, the frusto-conical or cylindrical staves 105 are mounted with heights 106 ranging from one to three. meters. Thus, tower segments 107 may have heights 108 which usually range from ten to twenty meters. For tower mounting, tower segments 107, which have metal reinforcing structural rings at both ends (not shown), must be suspended and placed in their respective design positions by cranes 110, operating height 111 greater than the total height 109 of the tower to be built. During tower construction, the tower segments 107, after being placed in their final positions, are connected to each other by means of steel bars joining the metal tabs in the tower. inner face of the two ends of both tower segments joining together. In this way, these connecting bars solidify the set of tower segments with each other. After this solidarity, the power generation equipment 112 is hoisted by the crane and placed on the highest tower segment 101.

[031] An obvious way to avoid the use of large and tall cranes for tower suspension is the use of telescopic structures associated with the use of double reverse behavior nodes.

[032] The use of telescopic structures arose with the dawn of the industrial revolution. From the improvement of the telescope by Galileo Galilei in the early 17th century, the construction of telescopic structures on instruments, apparatus and machines has flourished throughout the civilized world, until reaching the telescopic metal cups of the first half of the twentieth century. to the radio telescopic antennas of cars and fire ladders of the second half of the twentieth century, and the telescopic artifacts of aluminum and structural plastic of the 21st century.

[033] The use of telescopic structures in civil engineering constructions has been in existence for a long time. Thus, for example, US Patent 4,312,167 of January 26, 1982 privileges a method of building towers and their large water tanks which employs telescopic mounting devices which were invented. for this specific type of construction.

Likewise, US patent 4,486,989 of 12/11/1984 favors a method of constructing raised water tanks by telescopic method suitable for the construction under consideration.

Similarly, U.S. Patent 4,660,336 of April 18, 1987 privileges a method of constructing a raised water tank and its tower by a telescopic process whose invented elements are relevant to the type of construction. considered.

[036] An attempt to introduce a technology for the construction of wind power towers, using telescopic elevation of tower segments, was made with British patent GB2451191 published on 27/03/2013, with priority. of July 18, 2007. This patent relates to the construction of shallow water offshore towers. According to the drawing (Fig. 10A of that document), the tower segments, after being constructed, are transported horizontally by floatation and placed upright at the job site. In the initial phase of construction, the tower segments are arranged on the tower foundation in a concentric arrangement with each other and with the tower axis, whose configuration is suitable for telescopic lifting. Lifting the tower segments according to the drawing (Fig. 11 of the cited document) and the report is not done by telescoping the successive tower segments. On the other hand, at each tower segment lifting step, the operation is performed by means of hydraulic push-up jacks, which are applied to metal support platforms of the not-raised segment projecting flap assembly, built inside the tower. tower, with diameters suitable for each particular step. At the upper end of the In tower segments there is an element (detail 56, figures 3B and 10C) facing the interior of the tower but for the sole purpose of serving as a limit switch. It is important to note that the support of the tower segments on the segments immediately below them is made by inclined metal parts (detail 96, Fig. 10C) whose support and operation are not explained, only being informed that they transmit the loads. from the underside of the tower segments to undisclosed recesses in the periphery of the top of the tower segment wall positioned lower than that in elevation, and there is no structural stiffening member of the connecting regions successive tower segments.

[037] The methods of building the wind power system towers, made of steel or structural concrete, always comprise the same three phases as follows: construction of base-level tower segments, lifting of these segments by placing them in overlapping positions, and solidarity of the union of these segments in their final positions.

Just as in the manufacture of other telescopic systems, in the telescopic construction of towers it is necessary that the tower segments have a geometric conformation that allows their positioning within each other, in concentric positions with respect to each other and in relation to each other. to the tower axis to be built, and capable of withstanding the stresses to which they will be subjected during the construction and during its useful life, in which the tower must function as a solidary structural system of monolithic behavior.

[039] As in the manufacture of other telescopic systems, for the installation of tower segment lifting devices and to stop these movements when these segments reach their specified design positions, tower segments they shall be provided with projecting tabs at their ends, with the forward end tab facing into the tower, and the rear end tab facing away from the tower.

Just as in the manufacture of towers by other different construction methods employing the union of prefabricated tower segments, in a telescopic method it is also indispensable that the set of interconnected segments result in an integrated structural system, with structural behavior of cantilevered beam at base. For this, the joints of the different tower segments must behave as rigid nodes of the structure, which can guarantee a monolithic behavior of the structural system.

[041] Figure 2-A of this application illustrates the basic problems with tower tower junctions for wind power generation. This figure shows the flexing and rupture caused by forces applied to protruding thin flanges parallel to the supporting walls. The flexing of the flaps is fully propagated to the support wall, regardless of the existence and position of any triangular stiffeners ("French hands") placed perpendicular to the support wall.

[042] Figure 2-B presents a state of the art solution recommended by Concrete Center. in their previously cited publications (2007/2005), to be applied to the union of thin walls of cylindrical towers constructed by overlapping the tower segments with the use of tall cranes. The cylindrical walls of the tower segments have at their upper end a rigid metal ring 201, and at their lower end a rigid metal ring 202. The metal rings of neighboring tower segments of equal diameter are connected. by steel bars 506 applying forces 203. Similarly, the longitudinal bias cables 204 are anchored to both metal end rings of each tower segment. Each tie bar and bias cable corresponds to sections 205 along the perimeter of the protruding tabs 208 of the rigid rings. The tie bars apply concentrated torsion torques 206 with an intuitive representation acting clockwise on the metal ring sectors 202 and apply concentrated torsional torques torque with an intuitive representation 207 acting anti-clockwise on the metal ring sectors 201 .

[043] This figure 2-B shows the overall effect of these torsional torques on the metal ring 201 of the lower end of the joining tower segment by the vector representation 209 of these torques. Although the resultant of these torques along the entire perimeter of flap 208 is zero, the resultant 210 along the left half of flap 208 shows that the overall effect corresponds to a bending torque 211 applied virtually to the left end of ring 201. In the right half of tab 208, the overall effect of localized torsional torques is symmetrical to the previous effect. The resulting torsional torque 212 also corresponds to a virtual bending torque 213 applied to the right end of ring 211. The set of these bending torques simulate, for each pair of segments 205 symmetrically arranged along rigid tab 208, bending bars. 214 and 215 in the direction defined by each pair of segments considered.

[044] The joint effect of torsion torques 206 and 207 acting in opposite directions tends to cause a rotation opening between the cross sections of the rigid rings 202 and 201, forcing an equal rotation between the cross sections of the concrete to them respectively in solidarity. In this way, a portion of the torsional torques 206 and 207, which should balance each other, are transferred as bending moments to the concrete walls attached to the rings of the twin junction of the tower segments. The greater the stiffness of the rings 201 and 202, the lower the relative torsional rotation of the metal rings to each other, and the less bending that the concrete walls of the tower segments require. A phenomenon of the same nature, but in opposite directions, occurs with the forces applied to the rings 201 and 202 by the longitudinal pretension cables of the tower segments.

[045] In an attempt to appropriate existing knowledge about the telescopic movement of elements of a building, while employing only known Civil Engineering techniques, invention privileges were sought for such knowledge through US2012 / 0159875A1 "TOWER TELESCOPE". ASSEMBLY AND METHOD "of 28/06/2012, which describes the telescopic construction method as new to the construction industry. [046] The drawings presented in the cited document do not show any detail regarding the dimensions of the protruding tabs, which are shown only in very small schematic drawings, which do not show whether they can be of adequate dimensions to form rigid knots necessary for the functions to be performed. exercised by them. In particular, the details of the tabs shown in slightly larger drawings in Figures 3 and 4, which are also schematic and of the same nature as the details shown in Figures 1, 2, 9, and 10, are inadequate. the joining of structural concrete pieces, because they have no structural arrangement that can resist the bending efforts acting on these joints, nor enough rigidity to guarantee the monolithism of the structural behavior. In short, the absence of rigid rings, such as the rings formed by the metal boxes analyzed in the previous paragraphs, makes this construction method unfeasible for both steel and concrete structures.

Objectives of the Invention

In view of the foregoing, the present invention aims to solve the problem of how to make these rigid concrete rings, with different diameters that allow the telescopic lifting of the tower segments.

[048] Another objective is the development of a constructive method for assembling towers of structural materials formed by a plurality of cylindrical tower segments.

[049] Another objective is the development of a constructive method for assembling towers of structural materials formed by stacking at least two trunk-conical tower segments.

General Description of the Invention

[050] In accordance with the present invention, a reverse-acting "double structural node" of structural concrete has been developed which enables the construction of towers with heights of up to more than one hundred meters by telescopic lifting of segments. cylindrical or conical turrets, the diameter of the towers decreasing progressively as a function of height.

According to another feature of the invention, said cylindrical tower segments have staggered diameters, said diameters being progressively smaller for the higher tower segments.

[052] According to another feature of the invention, said tower segments have a conical shape, the diameter of each tower segment decreasing in the direction of its height.

[053] According to another feature of the invention, said tower segments have a cylindrical shape and individual lengths of the order of 15 to 30 meters, with constant diameters of the order of 10 to 3 meters, which progressively decrease as they are placed at higher positions along the tower.

[054] Tower elements are constructed by coupling thin-wall cylindrical modules mounted on the jobsite with structural concrete elements manufactured industrially which are consolidated by longitudinal claim. Alternatively, industrially prefabricated parts are constructed in the form of elongated cylindrical sectors, with lengths in the order of 10 to 20 meters and widths in the order of 3 meters, which on the construction site are consolidated by transverse pretension, thus constructing the segments. turrets desired.

[055] Where the structural material is concrete, the tower segments are constructed in the form of tubes with large diameters, but with thin walls, in the order of 20 to 30 centimeters. For the construction of the "double knots" of reverse behavior of the tower segment unions, at their ends are constructed "thick annular strips of intended concrete" which, linked and solidified together, also by pretension, form a special structural system. which gives the tower structure a monolithic behavior.

[056] The present invention, by providing high rigidity rings with different diameters at the ends of the tower segments, meets all the requirements necessary for the telescopic construction of structural concrete towers for wind power generation, thing that cannot be done in the state of the art.

[057] In order for the twin connecting nodes of the tower segments to be adequately rigid, the thick annular bands that make up each element of the double node must have lengths of the order of six to 15 times the wall thickness of the tower segment. up to three times the wall thickness of the tower segment. In towers with a wall of 20 cm, each annular strip will have lengths of about one and a half meters to three meters and thicknesses of about half a meter, together constituting connecting elements that give the double nodes lengths of the order of up to 6 meters. meters.

Description of the Figures

The further features and advantages of the invention will be better understood by describing exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, and the accompanying figures in which:

[059] Figure 1, which refers to the State of the Art, schematically shows the successive procedures employed in the construction of concrete towers for wind power generation. Such procedures include the indispensable use of auxiliary metal cranes, with heights higher than the height of the tower to be built, which condition does not exist with the present invention.

[060] Figure 2- A demonstrates the impossibility of connecting the tower segments with thin walls by simple thin flanges, due to the flexion of these thin walls, due to the transmission of the forces to which these flanges are subjected.

[061] Figure 2-B shows that for thin-walled tower segments of any structural material, whether steel or concrete, to be joined together, even by non-telescopic construction methods, the existence of rings is indispensable. They are very rigid at the ends of the connecting tower segments, and it is not possible to use only simple thin flanges. [062] Figure 3 schematically shows in perspective the appearance of a tower with all cylindrical tower segments already assembled and ready for lifting, as well as the positions of those tower segments after they have been raised and placed in their final positions in the tower.

Figure 4 schematically shows, in vertical diametrical section, the geometric configuration of one of the cylindrical tower segments employed in this invention, showing that it meets all the necessary requirements for the telescopic construction of structural concrete towers.

[064] Figure 5 shows schematically the general process of lifting and subsequent solidification of the cylindrical tower segments allowed by the presence of rigid structural concrete rings formed by the thick flaps existing in the cylindrical modular rings of their ends, considering the arrangement of a sequence of three neighboring tower segments, lower segment 501, intermediate segment 502 and upper segment 503, concentric with tower axis 311.

[065] Figure 6-A schematically shows the basic arrangement of the circumferential prestressing armored cables 610 of the lower flap region 403 of the upper end of the lower tower segment 603, and the basic arrangement of the circumferential reinforcing prestressing cables 611. from the lower flap region 401 of the lower end of the upper turret 602. These reinforcements are responsible for the resistance of the connecting node of the neighboring turret segments to the acting vertical loads, including their own weight forces.

[066] Figure 6-B shows the arrangement of the compressive stresses of the concrete which, together with the compressed connecting rod balancing cables described in Figure 6-A, form the internal structure of the rigid rings forming the connecting knot. of the tower segments.

[067] Note that the two circular prestressing cables of the upper region of the rigid rings have the purpose of ensuring the resistance of the upper band of these rings against the shear, bending and twisting forces acting on the tower structure.

[068] Figure 7 shows the arrangement of all intended and passive reinforcements within the double reverse behavior node constructed with the thick bands in contact of two neighboring tower segments connected together.

[8] Figure 8 shows the various stages of the process of assembling a tower formed by cylindrical tower segments.

Figures 9 and 10 refer to a second embodiment of the invention in which the tower is comprised of two frusto-conical shaped tower segments.

[071] Figure 11 illustrates the mounting of an auxiliary stand on the top of the upper tower segment used for lifting components related to power generation.

[072] Figure 12 shows the tower already armed by lifting the second tower segment and joining it with the first supporting tower segment.

[073] Figure 13 shows the detail of the double reverse behavior node at the junction of said tower segments. In this figure, for the sake of clarity, the prestressing elements have been omitted. [074] Figure 14 shows the lifting of the propeller by the auxiliary gantry.

Detailed Description of the Invention

[075] The present invention maintains some basic State of the art procedures for preliminary activities, some of which are illustrated in Fig. 1. These basic procedures leading to the construction of tower segments can be of several different types, which They are chosen according to the project and the industrial availability in the vicinity of the construction site. In one of the basic procedures, prefabricated building elements are employed to construct tower segments as overlapping cylindrical stave assemblies; in another type, as sets of elongated sectors of longitudinally desired cylindrical surfaces which are joined by transverse circular pretension, and in another type, as overlapping trochanic stave assemblies.

[076] The detailed description of the preliminary construction procedures leading to the construction of tower segments refers to the tower composed of a plurality of cylindrical tower segments, said procedures being performed using knowledge of the state of the art:

[077] - Execution of foundation 103 at the construction site;

[078] - receipt of industrially manufactured concrete structural members 102 and transported to the site by road vehicles 104;

[079] - assembly of the modular staves that will be superimposed to form the tower segments, with the dimensions specified for each of them.

[080] - Overlap of the intermediate modular staves 308, all of the same diameter for each of the tower segments, as well as the lower end rings 306 and upper 307, the characteristics of which are described below:

As shown in Fig. 4, the cylindrical modular ring 306 of the lower end of the tower segments has a total length 406, in which there is a thicker end strip 402 of length 407 and internal diameter 412 equal to internal diameter 410. of the rings 308 of the parallel medium body, and with an outside diameter 413 greater than the outside diameter 411 of the rings of the middle body, forming a projecting flap projected outwardly of the tower segment;

the cylindrical modular ring 307 of the upper end of the tower segments has a total length 408, in which there is a thicker end strip, with length 409 and internal diameter 414 smaller than the internal diameter 410 of the middle body rings, with Outer diameter 415 equal to the outer diameter 411 of the middle body rings, forming a recessed flap projected into the turret segment.

[081] - Realization of the final longitudinal pretension of the risers 604 (shown in Fig. 6-A) of the tower segments by mutually compressing the staves 308 and the lower end rings 306 and upper 307 to form a tower segment. . From this point, the procedures known in the prior art are completed and the specific steps of the invention are carried out as follows:

Fig. 4 schematically shows, in vertical diametrical section, that the modular cylindrical rings 306 and 307 of the ends of the tower segments are made with two different thickness bands 418 and 417 at their respective ends. The other bands of these rings, which are attached to the modular staves 308, neighboring the same segment, have the same thickness 416 as those 308 of the middle body of the tower segment. The thick strip 402 (Fig. 4) of the lower end of the tower segments and the thick strip 404 of the upper end of the tower segments that make contact between neighboring tower segments are of thicker thickness constituting in very rigid rings 601 (fig. 6- A), which form the protruding tabs 401 at the lower ends and recessed 403 at the upper ends of the tower segments (see Fig. 5), maintaining a common area on this contact face. and allowing reciprocal compression bonding of the ends of neighboring tower segments, although they have different diameters.

At the upper end of the tower segments (Fig. 4), the recessed flap 404 is directed into the tower, and at the lower end of the protruding flap 402 is directed towards the outside of the tower.

As shown in Fig. 5, the connection of the protruding tabs 402 of the lower end of the tower segments with the recessed tabs 404 of the upper end of the tower segments is made by means of prestressed cables or bars. 506, which allow the adjacent tower segments to be solidified already in their final, lower 501 and intermediate 502 positions, with different diameters, and enable the telescopic lifting of the 503 upper tower segments without the use of cranes external to the tower itself under construction.

[086] The protruding tabs of the neighboring tower segments are joined together by prestressed longitudinal reinforcement 506 distributed along the periphery of the tower segments into holes suitably located for such union, which tabs have prestressed reinforcement. and of transverse passive reinforcement designed to resist internal transverse stresses resulting from changes in the direction of internal longitudinal forces along these tabs.

[087] In summary, this new telescopic construction method is essentially based on the joining of neighboring tower segments by means of a double-acting reverse knot composed of thick rings of structural concrete forming mutually complementary protruding tabs and recesses. ends of these segments without the use of metal tabs or auxiliary cranes employed in the state of the art.

[088] In an exemplary embodiment, presented solely for the sake of fixing the ideas, it is assumed that the construction method refers to a tower 301 (Fig. 3-A) with a "H" height 312 of about 100m, formed with segments. 302, 303, 304, (base, intermediate, top), with variable length "h" 309, having constant outside diameters "D", but decreasing as the segments are located higher, assuming also that base tower segment 302 has a 10m diameter, reaching the top tower segment 304 with the diameter of 3m.

[089] The thicknesses of the lower (402) and (404) upper wings forming the stiffening rings 601 (Fig. 6-A) of the ends of the tower segments are of the order of two to three times the thickness of the staves. Cylindrical Modular 308 (Fig. 4) forming the average body of the tower segments, reaching thicknesses of 0.5m to 1.0m and the length of these rings is six to eight times the thickness of the 308 staves, reaching up to lengths of the order of 1.5m. These stiffening rings are solidified with each other and with the body walls of the two tower segments by longitudinal pretension and circular transverse pretension. Thus, the set of the two connecting rings at the ends of the neighboring tower segments forms a rigid knot, with two rings of individual heights of 1m to 1.5m and thicknesses of the order of 70cm to 1m, forming together a knot. reverse behavior structural structure, with longitudinal length of up to 3m, ensuring a significant increase in the transverse stiffness of the tower segments. According to modern theories of concrete structures, the thicknesses of these end rings are large enough that the set of connecting nodes 601 function as if they were a massive structure, allowing the structural operation of the tower to simulate the behavior of a beam. solid section, set in the foundation of the base.

As shown in Figure 3-A, the present method provides that the base 302, intermediate 303 and top 304 tower segments are constructed by overlapping the cylindrical modules 306, 307, 308 (Fig. 3 -B) around each other, directly on the foundation 310, forming a set of tower segments 305, which allows to elevate these tower segments that make up tower 301, inside the tower itself to be built without the use of high lift cranes and load capacities as required by conventional methods.

[091] At the end of the construction of tower segments 302, 303, 304, with suitable cylindrical modules 306, 307, 308, a set 305 of tower segments is formed directly on foundation 310, formed by: tower base with larger outer diameter 302; intermediate tower segments 303 of smaller diameter than that and successively smaller in relation to one another; and smaller diameter top tower segments 304, all resting directly on the foundation 310, disposed within each other, concentric with each other and relative to the tower axis 311, as shown in Figure 3-B.

[092] The external tower segment in base tower segment assembly 302 has been in solidarity with foundation 310 since its construction. Over the course of the lift, the remaining intermediate 303 and top 304 segments will be successively solidified with each other as they are lifted and linked to the supporting segment.

[093] In the proposed telescopic construction method, as shown in Figure 3-B, a tower 301 is constructed of cylindrical tower segments 302, 303, 304, of varying lengths (h), forming a set 305 of tower segments that are individually lifted as shown in Figure 8 and superimposed on each other, with external diameters decreasing as tower segments are at higher levels.

As shown in (b) in Figure 8, this tower segment lifting process is initiated by intermediate segment 303 which in the set of segments 305 is adjacent to the outer segment, base tower segment 302. , and ends with top segment 304 which is in the center of segment set 305 and which is placed on top of tower 301.

[095] Lifting the tower segments is by means of four to eight flexible lifting cables 504 (Fig. 5), with passive anchors on the underside of the outer projecting flap 402 located at the lower end of the tower segment 503 (fig. 5) It will be suspended. Lifting forces are applied by means of lifting jacks (505) installed on the upper face of the inner protruding flap 404 located at the upper end of the tower segment 502 which supports the lift and which, after lifting, will be positioned in the position below. of the segment that was lifted.

[096] The preliminary assembly process of tower segments 302, 303, 304 is performed simultaneously with all segments of segment set 305. For each tower segment 302 or 303 or 304 (Figure 3 -B), the construction is necessarily initiated by the lower end cylindrical ring provided with the lower outer flap 402, which will be directed towards the outside of the tower. Next, the intermediate staves 308 forming the middle body are placed and, at the end, the upper end ring 307 'is installed, in which there is the upper inner flap 404, which will be directed into the tower.

[097] Tower segments 302, 303, 304, built into each other for lifting individually, one at a time, are diametrically spaced apart by gaps 709 (Fig. 7) on the order of five centimeters ( 5cm), which are sufficient so that, when lifting the tower segments, there is no interference between them. As an additional measure of guaranteeing the freedom of lifting independent of the tower segments, flexible metal spacers (not shown) with a thickness of five centimeters (5cm) are placed at their ends, positioned in said clearance. For perfect leveling of the tower segments, in the lifting operation concrete shims 711 are placed within a horizontal clearance 710 of the order of 10 centimeters which is rigidly grouted at the conclusion of the operation.

Figure 5 shows schematically the process of lifting tower segments, considering the arrangement of a sequence of three segments. The upper tower segment 503 is in the process of lifting by means of flexible lifting cables 504, which are pulled by 505 Strand Jack lifting equipment installed on top of the recessed flap 404 of the upper end of the segment. intermediate tower 502, which will remain lower than the end position of upper tower segment 503. At the opposite end, the flexible cables are anchored to the underside of the projecting tab 402 of the lower end of upper segment 503 being hoisted.

[099] Intermediate tower segment 502, which supports the lifting of upper segment 503, is in its final position suspended by splicing bars 506 anchored on one side to the face. bottom flap protruding 402 from the lower end of the intermediate turret segment 502, and on the other side at the upper face of the recessed upper flap 404 of the upper end of the lower turret segment 501 supporting all segments tower positions higher than its own position.

[0100] The lifting process, carried out in isolation with each tower segment, is electronically controlled in real time. The forces applied by each lifting jack 505 and the vertical displacements of each lifting cable 504 are controlled. the verticality of the rising segment.

As detailed in Fig. 5, the joining of two overlapping tower segments is made by contacting the upper face 401 of the thick strip forming the outer projecting flap 402 of the lower end of a tower segment 503. - which in the tower will be in a higher position - with the underside 403 of the thick strip forming the inner recessed flap 404 of the upper end of the tower segment which will be in the lowest position in the tower.

[0102] Figure 7 shows the complete arrangement of the prestressing cables responsible for the composition of the two-tower double joining knot formed by joining the protruding tab 402 of the upper segment 602 with the recessing flap 404 of the lower segment 603. .

Figure 6-A shows that the longitudinal prestress of the upper tower segment 602 is provided by the prestress cables 604, embedded in holes along its cylindrical wall, with anchors 605 located on the underside of flap 402 The longitudinal prestressing of the lower tower segment 603 is provided by the prestressing cables 606, embedded in holes along its cylindrical wall, with anchors 607 located on the upper face of the flap 404. 404, of the tower segments that are connected by a double-acting reverse node - as these tower segments have different diameters - is made by intended bars 506, with lower anchor 608 on the underside of the lower end flap 402 upper segment 602, and upper anchor 609 on the upper face of flap 404 of the upper end of lower segment 603.

The longitudinal bending forces are anchored at the ends of each tower segment, producing a uniform field of vertical compression stresses, which will overlap the vertical compression stresses of the external compression loads applied to the tower. including the weight forces themselves.

[0105] As the diameter of the supported tower segment is smaller than the diameter of the supporting tower segment, the vertical compression stresses in the supported segment along the reverse behavior double node become stresses. compression bends to move from a smaller diameter segment to a larger diameter segment.

[0106] Figure 6-A also shows the cables of the circumferential prestressing armature 610 of the lower flap region 404 of the upper end of the lower tower segment 603 and the arrangement of the circumferential reinforcement prestressing cables 611 of the lower flap region. 402 from the lower end of upper turret segment 602, which are required for balancing the inclined compression stress fields 623 and 624 shown in figure 6-B.

Figure 6-B shows the arrangement of the compressive stresses 616 and 617 of the concrete which, together with the circular pretensioning cables 610 and 611 constitute the basic internal structure of the rigid rings forming the connecting node of the segments. Tower It should be noted that the two circular prestressing cables of the upper regions of the rigid rings are intended to complete the strength of the structure under the action of bending forces, shear forces and torsional forces acting on the bonding region of the neighboring rings. . The complete structure of the connecting node of neighboring tower segments is shown in figure 7.

Figure 6-B shows the compressive stresses 620 on the midbody wall of the sustained tower segment, and 621 on the support segment wall, as well as the respective inclined connecting rods 623 and 624 leading to these stresses. compression to corresponding anchorages 608 and 609 of the connecting reinforcement of the two neighboring tower segments.

[0109] Figure 7 shows all the passive and intended reinforcement and their structural arrangement within the double reverse behavior node constructed with the thick bands in contact of two neighboring tower segments. The supporting segment wall 603 surrounds the supported tower segment wall 602. Between them there is a clearance 709 of the order of five centimeters (5cm) to ensure that during the lifting operation there is no interference between the two tower segments. Later, at the end of the connection, this gap 709 is filled with high resistance grout consolidating the bonding of the two segments. For perfect leveling of the tower segments, in the lifting operation concrete shims 711 are placed within a horizontal clearance 710 of the order of 10 centimeters which is rigidly grouted at the conclusion of the operation.

[0110] The figure also shows the transverse concrete slab 701, joined to the lower end face of the supported tower segment, which transversely consolidates all the structural parts of that connecting region. The slab 701 is supported by the anchor piece 702 located between the longitudinal prestressing reinforcement anchor 605 of that turret and the rigid ring connecting armature 608 of the two turret segments. In the same figure are shown the circular prestressing cables 703 of the upper region of the thickened band 402 of the supported tower segment, and the circular prestressing cables 704 of the upper region of the thickened band 404 of the supporting tower segment. These reinforcements ensure the tangential compression of the stiffness rings at the ends of the tower segments, preventing tensile stresses arising from the multiple stress states due to the action of shear and torsional forces during the tower's service life. due to wind action on the power generation equipment and on the tower's own lateral surface.

Similarly, for the same safety purpose, that no tensile stresses appear on the walls 612 and 613 of the middle bodies of the two neighboring tower segments, Figure 7 shows the circular prestressing reinforcement 706 and 705. which should be respectively placed along the average body of the two tower segments joined by the double reverse behavior node.

[0112] Figure 7 shows the stirrups of the passive reinforcing reinforcement 708 of the diametrical anchoring region of the circular prestressing cables 611, placed in the lower region of the thick end band of the supported tower segment, which support compressed concrete strips 623, already considered in the analysis of Fig. 6-B, which from the structural node 622 are inclined to withstand the vertical compressive stresses 620 from the loads 618 applied externally to the tower. which are supported at their base on the anchoring 608 of the rigid ring connecting armature forming the double-acting reverse knot and, at their top, are horizontally in the upper region of the rigid ring of the lower end of the segment. supported tower, which structurally simulates a virtual diametric compression band 617 (shown in Fig. 6-B).

Similarly, Fig. 7 also shows the stirrups of the passive reinforcement reinforcements 707 of the diametrical anchor region of the circular prestressing cables 610, placed in the lower region of the thick band of the upper end of the supporting tower segment. , which horizontally support the lower end of the concrete strips 624 which at their upper end, in the region of the upper end anchoring 609 of the bars of the double-knuckle rigid ring connecting armature, are now inclined to support the vertical component of the force applied by these bars 506, inclined bands which at their top rest horizontally on the upper region of the rigid ring of the upper end of the supporting tower segment, which structurally simulates a virtual diametric compression band 616 ( shown in Fig. 6-B).

Figure 8 schematically summarizes the new construction method presented by this invention, showing, in (a) the set of tower segments 305, consisting of: larger outer diameter base tower segment 302; intermediates 303 of smaller diameters than one and successively smaller relative to each other, and smaller central end 304, constructed with different heights "h" 309, within the outer base segment 302, which is the largest diameter, directly on the foundation 310 and concentric with each other and relative to the tower axis 311. Steps (b) through (e) show that the tower segment lifting begins with the intermediate segment 303, neighboring the outer base segment 302 of the assembly 305, and ends with the elevation of the central top segment 304, with which the construction of tower 301 at height 312 is completed.

[0115] Tower elements are constructed by coupling thin-wall cylindrical modules mounted on the construction site with industrially manufactured structural concrete elements that are consolidated by longitudinal bending. Alternatively, industrially prefabricated parts are constructed in the shape of elongated cylindrical sectors, with lengths of the order of 10 to 20 meters and widths of the order of 3 meters, which on the jobsite are consolidated by transverse prestressing, thus constructing the segments. turrets desired. In more detail, Figure 5 shows generally the lifting according to the present invention. Considering a set of 3 successive tower segments 501, 502 and 503, it is assumed that segment 501 had previously been solidified to the base of the tower, and had also been used for the lifting operation of segment-1. -torre 502. The general lifting operation is shown by the lifting of the tower segment 503, which initially comprised the concentric assembly of 3 tower segments, arranged within each other, concentric with each other and with respect to the axis. "X" 310 of the tower and resting on the foundation 310.

From this starting position, the Strand Jack 505 is supported on the upper edge of the outer base segment 502, the lifting wire ropes 504 are routed through the respective openings of the inner upper flap 404 of the segment. base 502 and the openings of the lower outer flap 402 of neighboring segment 503 and anchored to the lower face of the lower outer flap 402 of segment 503 to be lifted. From this position is lifted until tower 503 reaches the height it should occupy in the tower, whereby the protruding portion 401 of the lower outer flap 402 is disposed under the recessed portion 403 of the upper inner flap 404 of segment 502, keeping, as indicated in Fig. 7, the gap 710 between them, by the presence of the concrete shims 711 which allow the subsequent grouting of the gap. In this position, the connecting cables 504 are routed through the openings of the upper inner flap 404 of segment 504, and the openings of the lower outer flap 402 of segment 503, and, after proper grout hardening, the usual bending procedure is performed in the technique solidifying the two tower segments. Strand Jack 505 and 504 ropes are disassembled and transferred to the upper edge of the newly erected middle tower segment 503 and the ropes are mounted in the openings of the lower outer flap 402 of the next tower segment to be erected.

[0118] After lifting all the tower segments, the underside of the flap protruding from the lower end of the tower segments is solidified along its perimeter by placing a massive precast reinforced concrete slab 701. (see Fig. 7), with central opening, which is secured by vertical prestressing 702 to this protruding flap, and thus stiffens transversely of this tower cross section.

[0119] With this new construction method, all loads acting on a given tower segment, including actions due to the weight of the tower segment itself, are transmitted to the tower segment immediately below it through the section. formed by the common face of the two projecting tabs of the contacting rings, which are solidified by prestressing after the hardening of the backlash filler between them.

Figures 9 to 14 refer to a second embodiment which results in a saving in the cost of ancillary equipment as well as a substantial saving in the time required at the tower assembly site. [0121] The second configuration and constitution requires shorter assembly time by reducing the number of lifting and clamping operations of tower segments by means of strand jacks. Indeed, practice shows that considerable time is required to assemble each set of lifting means, as the flexible cables must be reliably and reliably arranged before the respective strand jacks are actuated. In addition, these are time consuming operations, as such equipment must work in sync to maintain the verticality and side clearances of the tower segment being lifted.

[0122] In this embodiment the tower consists of two superimposed telescopic trunk-conical tower segments, a first lower tower segment and a second upper tower segment, which has a diameter smaller than the lower one on the which point is supported, said point being provided with means for connecting and solidifying said segments, to form a single structure, said means consisting of a double structural node of reverse behavior, already detailed in connection with figures 6A, 6B and 7.

[0123] Both of these tower segments are assembled at the work site by stacking modular elements (staves) joined together and solidified by means of longitudinal (axial) pretension.

Fig. 9 shows the upper tower segment 304 assembled by stacking trunk-conical staves 301 and joined together by longitudinal pretension to form a solidary assembly. This figure further shows a thick annular strip 303 located at the lower end of the tower segment protruding from its outer wall. Said annular band will be part of the double structural node of reverse behavior when the tower is armed.

After assembly of this upper segment, the lower segment 302 is mounted by stacking the staves 305, formed by trunk-conical sectors joined by the vertical edges and solidified by circular transverse pretension.

Said tower segment 302, hereinafter referred to as "first", has its lower end consolidated to the foundation of the tower by longitudinal pretension, being provided at its upper end with a thick annular strip 307 projecting towards the which, together with the thick annular strip 303 of the lower end of the tower segment 302 - designated as the "second" tower segment - will form the double reverse behavior structural node. Said annular strips each have a length of the order of up to 15 times the wall thickness of the tower segment and a thickness of up to three times the thickness of said wall.

In summary, the upper end of the first tower segment 302 is provided with a recessed thick annular strip 307 protruding into the tower, and the lower end of the second tower segment 304 is provided. a thick projecting annular strip 303 protruding out of the tower.

After having been concentrically mounted on the ground said first and second tower segments, it can be seen in Fig. 10 that the second tower segment 304 has a total height greater than that the first tower segment 302, the portion 311 protruding above the top of the latter measuring between 3 and 15 meters, preferably 10 meters. The upper end of said spare portion 311 comprises a metal module for supporting nacelle 309 (not shown in this figure) housing the electric power generator, which metal module (unreferenced) is consolidated to the tower segment by means of the longitudinal pretension. Fig. 10 further shows the provision of a through hole 312 provided in said metal module which will be used in the installation and fixing of the elements associated with the generation of electric power, as will be described below.

As shown in Fig. 11, on top of second tower element 304, more precisely in said metal module, an auxiliary winch 308 is attached to the metal module by means of a shaft (not shown) that is it fits into said hole 312. Said auxiliary winch has the function of lifting and assembling the elements related to the electric power generation, such as the nacelle 309 containing the generator and the wind driven propeller (not shown).

Once the lifting of nacelle 309 to the top of tower segment 304 is completed, it is positioned and secured to said metal module by known means. This second tower segment 304 is then lifted by means of strand jacks supported on the upper edge of the first tower segment 302, without the need for auxiliary structures, using the method described above in connection with Fig. 5. At the end of this lift, the appearance of the tower is that illustrated in Fig. 12, which shows nacelle 309 already attached to the top of it.

[0131] The encounter between said segments, indicated as "E" in this figure, constitutes the double reverse behavior structural node, which provides the rigid union between the upper tower segment 304 and the first tower segment 302. , whose lower end is properly set into the final foundation (not shown).

Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view of said knot, which is consolidated by prestressing elements as shown in figures 6A, 6B and 7 and detailed in the corresponding description.

For reasons of clarity, such elements are not illustrated in Fig. 14. This figure further shows the transverse concrete slab 310, integral with the lower end face of the upper tower segment, which transversely consolidates said segment. turrets providing increased rigidity in this region. In contrast to the system using a plurality of cylindrical tower segments, described in connection with figures 3-A, 3-B, 7 and 8, where the slabs referenced as 701 in Fig. 7 can only be assembled after the lifting of all tower segments is completed, in the second embodiment the slab 310 may be formed at the beginning of the assembly of the second tower segment 302 when it is still grounded. This saves additional time and labor on tower assembly.

As can be seen from the cross-sectional view of Fig. 14 corresponding to the tower already assembled, the inner diameter 314 of said first strip 307 at the upper end of the lower tower segment 302 corresponds to the outer diameter of the lower end body. of the upper tower segment 304, and the outer diameter of said second strip 303 of the lower end of the upper turret 304 corresponds to the internal diameter of the upper end body of the lower turret 302.

[0135] Once the tower assembly is completed and the pretension of the elements that make up the double-acting reverse structural node E is complete, the propeller lift begins, an operation shown in Fig. 13. For this, a cable that is pulled from the same winch 308 already used to lift and position the nacelle. The lower end of the cable is attached to the propeller 400, previously mounted on the ground. When the propeller lift is completed, it is installed on the wind generator shaft, thus completing the assembly assembly.

It should be noted, as appropriate, that in the case of towers structured as exemplified in Figures 3A and 3B, namely formed by a plurality of cylindrical tower segments, the installation of auxiliary winch 308 and of the nacelle 309 follow the same method adopted for the tower of Fig. 12, i.e. said elements are installed in the upper tower segment - in this case, tower tower segment 304 illustrated in said figures - when it is still in the ground. As with the tower formed by only two tower segments of Fig. 9 et seq., The condition permitting such installation is the higher height of the top tower segment 304 relative to the other tower segments. In the case of Fig. 3-B such a condition is observed since the tower segment 304 has higher height which allows the auxiliary winch to be installed at its upper end.

As described in connection with Fig. 13, the lifting of the propeller and its installation on the top of the tower formed by a plurality of cylindrical tower segments are also performed with the tower already mounted, that is, in the situation. shown in Fig. 3-A.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to those particular embodiments. Thus, the use of structural materials is not restricted to concrete and metal structures can be used in some or even all tower segments.

Of course, it is not necessary for such structures to use elements such as staves 301 or 305, and can be performed by techniques usually adopted for the assembly of metal structures. However, the fundamental characteristics of the object will be preserved, such as the higher height of the upper tower segment in relation to the others, as well as the use of the double structural node with reverse behavior in the junction of the upper and lower segments.

On the contrary, it is intended to cover all possible alternatives, modifications and equivalents within the spirit and scope of the invention, defined according to the following claims.

Claims

1. STRUCTURAL MATERIAL TOWER, consisting of superimposed telescopic tower segments, comprising an upper tower segment (304) supported on at least one lower tower segment (302) characterized by the fact that said tower segment higher height than said at least one lower tower segment and the meeting regions of the overlapping tower segments form a double reverse behavior structural node (E) comprising annular strips (303, 307, 402 404) thick strips of structural material, situated at the ends in mutual contact of said tower segments, which bands are connected and in solidarity with each other.

STRUCTURAL MATERIALS TOWER according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least one intermediate tower segment (303, 501, 502, 503).

STRUCTURAL MATERIAL TOWER according to claim 1, characterized in that it consists of two telescopic tower segments, comprising an upper tower segment (304) and a lower tower segment (302) both conical in shape.

STRUCTURAL MATERIAL TOWER according to claim 2, characterized in that said tower segments (302, 303, 304, 501, 502, 503) are cylindrical in shape.

STRUCTURAL MATERIALS TOWER according to claim 1, characterized in that the tower segments consist of modular staves (301, 305, 308) overlapping each other, joined globally by longitudinal pretension of the segment. Tower

STRUCTURAL MATERIALS TOWER according to Claim 5, characterized in that said modular staves (308) consist of elongated sectors of cylindrical surfaces joined by transverse circular prestressing.

STRUCTURAL MATERIALS TOWER according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each of said tower segments (302, 303, 501, 502, 503) except the upper one (304) comprises in its region above is a thick recessed annular strip (307, 404) of structural material having a length (409) of between six and fifteen times the wall thickness (416) of said tower segment and thickness (417) of up to three times the thickness. thickness of said wall, the inside diameter (314, 414) of said strip corresponding to the outside diameter of the tower segment (304, 503) situated above said considered tower segment (302, 502).

STRUCTURAL MATERIALS TOWER according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each of said tower segments (303, 304, 501, 502, 503) except the lower one (302) comprises in its region below is a projecting annular strip (310, 402) thick of structural material, having a length (407) between six and fifteen times the wall thickness (416) of said tower segment and up to three times the thickness (418). thickness of said wall, the outside diameter (314, 414) of said a strip corresponding to the outside diameter of the tower segment (304, 503) situated above said considered tower segment (302, 502).

STRUCTURAL MATERIALS TOWER according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that each of said reverse-acting double structural nodes (E) is formed by overlapping the projecting flap (401) of the projecting annular band (310, 402 ) with the recessed flap (403) of the recessed annular band (307, 404), said annular bands being solidified with each other by means of prestressed steel elements.

STRUCTURAL MATERIAL TOWER according to Claim 9, characterized in that each of said prestressed elements consists of wire ropes.

STRUCTURAL MATERIALS TOWER according to claim 9, characterized in that each of said prestressed elements consists of steel bars.

12 STRUCTURAL MATERIAL TOWER ASSEMBLY METHOD consists of stacking a plurality of telescopic modular tower segments, comprising the execution of the foundation (310) on site, receiving the industrially manufactured modular structural structural elements (102) , forming tower segments (302, 303, 304) from assembling said on-site assembled structural members forming an assembly (305) comprising a first larger diameter outer base tower segment (302) and a smaller diameter top tower segment (304) concentrically disposed to the larger diameter tower segment, further comprising the following steps:

• Lifting the smaller diameter tower segment by means of cables (504) anchored to the underside of the tab (310, 402) located at the lower end of said smaller diameter tower segment pulled from jacks (505). ) resting on the upper edge of the recessed strip (307, 404) located at the upper end of said first tower segment;

• installing splice bars (506) anchored to the underside of the lower outer flange (310, 402) of the lower end of the smaller diameter turret segment, and on the other side to the upper face of the recessed upper flange (307, 404) of the upper end of said larger diameter tower segment.

STRUCTURAL TOWER ASSEMBLY METHOD according to claim 12, wherein the tower further comprises at least one intermediate tower segment (303, 501, 502, 503) which is concentrically mounted to said one. at least one tower of larger diameter, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: Lifting the intermediate tower segment (303) adjacent to said first tower segment (302) by means of cables (504) anchored to the underside of the flap (402) located at the lower end of said tower segment. intermediate turret (303) pulled from jacks (505) resting on the upper edge of the protruding strip (404) located at the upper end of said first turret (302);

• installation of splice bars (506) anchored to the underside of the lower outer flap (402) of the lower end of the intermediate turret segment (303), and on the other side to the upper face of the inner upper flap (404) from the upper end of said first tower segment (302);

• repeating steps (c) and (d) for additional additional intermediate tower segments.

STRUCTURAL TOWER ASSEMBLY METHOD according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that it further comprises the installation of an auxiliary winch (308) attached to the upper end of said top tower segment (304). ).