Component-Level Fatigue Reliability Assessment of Novel Ring-Flange Connections in Lattice-Tubular Hybrid (LTH) Wind Turbine Towers
摘要
Due to prolonged exposure to random vibrations and cyclic loads, fasteners in wind turbine tower flange connections often experience fatigue failures caused by loosening. Therefore, there are stringent requirements in engineering for their anti-loosening performance. This paper proposes a construction method for ring-flange connections using anti-loosening rivets, which is applied to a lattice-tubular hybrid (LTH) wind turbine tower. Experimental tests were conducted to evaluate the fatigue performance of the connections using high-strength rivets. After confirming the fatigue performance of rivet connections through experiments, this paper, with the engineering background of an actual LTH wind turbine tower project in Shaanxi, China, conducted an integrated dynamic analysis of the LTH wind turbine tower based on actual environmental parameters. Utilizing the actual wind speed probability distribution, a fatigue load spectrum for the tower structure over a 20-year service life was derived. Furthermore, considering the probability distribution of wind directions, a stress spectrum for each rivet in the connection was generated. Finally, this paper conducted a component-level fatigue reliability assessment. The research findings provide valuable insights for the application of this novel flange connection in wind turbine tower structures.