Starting situation

To determinate the output curve of a wind powered engine with 126m diameter of the rotor blades (5 MB tower) a mast for wind measurement at the height of 125m had to be assembled. The wind speed is logged for a period of 5 years.

Description

The mast is prestressed with 52 ropes and consists of usual scaffold components. All components can be easily separated from each other allowing an easy disassembly and reusage of the mast. The construction allows easily climbing up the mast for maintenance during the serviceable life.

What we did

We designed and verified the complex system of the scaffold components and the prestressed ropes, made the detailed drawing, the planning and described the erection phases. The mast was idealized using a simple beam element for the complex cross section with the shear stiffness considering the flexible joints of the internal bracings. The stresses and strains were calculated including the nonlinear geometry (Th.III.O.) for the ropes considering also snap through due to lifting wind loads.