Section Design of 3MW Wind Turbine Tower Applied by GFRP DSCT Structure

Abstract

In this study, cross-sections of GFRP DSCT (Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Double-Skinned Composite Tubular) column applicable to a 3 MW wind power tower were designed and performance evaluations of the designed sections were conducted. Forty sections, which satisfied the required axial load and bending moment, were designed according to the corresponding hollow ratio using the AutoDSCT program. Each section was analyzed using the CoWiTA program with consideration of the nonlinearity of the material, concrete confinement effect, and large displacement effect. Consequently, for a section with a diameter of 4.5 m, the requirement was satisfied when the hollow ratio was 70% to 85%, and for the diameters of 4.275 m, 4.05 m, and 3.825 m, sections with hollow ratios between 70% and 82%, 70% and 76%, and only 70%, respectively, satisfied the requirement respectively. Further, modularization was also carried out on the columns for convenience and ease of transport, and the performance of each section was verified by presenting sections of the module for each height.