Windmill tower

摘要

A windmill tower supports a propeller and a platform that in turn supports a propeller feather control system and a generator system. The entire tower rotates at its base under changes in wind direction so the rotating propeller is constantly maintained upwind of the tower. The tower is a rigid structure that withstands cyclic thrust and torque loading sufficiently to reduce resonant vibrations of the tower as the propeller rotates under the influence of the wind. The resonant frequency of the tower can be higher than the passing frequency of the rotating propeller blades. The tower includes a pair of generally upright fore legs that converge upwardly toward a first apex on the propeller axis of rotation near the front of the platform immediately behind the propeller hub. A diagonal bracing strut extends downwardly from the first apex away from the plane of the fore legs and toward the rear of the tower. The bottoms of the fore legs and the diagonal bracing strut are rigidly interconnected by base plane truss members. A pair of upwardly converging aft legs extend diagonally upwardly from the bottoms of the fore legs toward a second apex aft of the first apex at the rear of the platform. At regular vertical intervals, stiffening trusses add rigidity to the main upright members of the tower structure. The natural frequency of the tower is raised by the fore legs and the diagonal bracing strut being interconnected in a rigid base plane truss. The diagonal bracing strut resists thrust loading on the tower, and the fore legs and aft legs resist torsional forces produced at the top of the tower.