Determination of Optimal Line-Heating Conditions for Flatness Control of Wind Tower Blocks Using Strain as Direct...

Area of Science:

• Mechanical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Structural Engineering

Background:

• Welding wind tower blocks affects flange flatness due to inherent strain from thermal cycles.
• Current line heating methods for flatness control rely heavily on operator experience, leading to variability.
• Meeting stringent flange flatness criteria is crucial for wind tower assembly and performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an optimized line heating method for controlling welded flange flatness in wind tower blocks.
• To establish a data-driven approach for determining optimal line heating parameters, reducing empirical judgment.
• To ensure wind tower components meet critical flatness design criteria through precise thermal management.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing the inherent strain method for analyzing residual stresses and deformations.
• Employing the deformation superposition method to combine welding and line heating effects.
• Implementing an optimization procedure to determine optimal line heating conditions (e.g., heat input, location).

Main Results:

• Calculated flange flatness changes due to welding and single-point heating.
• Developed a superimposition model incorporating a scale factor for line heating magnitude.
• Derived optimal line heating conditions that satisfy the design criteria for flange flatness.

Conclusions:

• The proposed method effectively determines optimal line heating conditions for controlling welded flange flatness.
• This approach offers a more objective and reliable alternative to empirical methods in wind tower manufacturing.
• Successful application to an analytical model validates the method's effectiveness in achieving design criteria.