Structural Behavior of L-Type Flange Joint with Various Flange Flatness Conditions

Thanh-Tuan Tran, Hongbae Park and Daeyong Lee ()
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Thanh-Tuan Tran: Institute of Offshore Wind Energy, Kunsan National University, 558 Daehak-ro, Gunsan-City 54150, Jeollabuk-do, Republic of Korea
Hongbae Park: Department of Wind Energy, The Graduate School of Kunsan National University, 558 Daehak-ro, Gunsan-City 54150, Jeollabuk-do, Republic of Korea
Daeyong Lee: Department of Wind Energy, The Graduate School of Kunsan National University, 558 Daehak-ro, Gunsan-City 54150, Jeollabuk-do, Republic of Korea

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 15, 1-16

Abstract: The L-type flange joint is widely used to attach steel tower segments to each other. However, tolerances on the flange surface flatness may occur during its fabrication, leading to a negative impact on the bolt stress distribution. This study evaluates the influences of the flange surface flatness on the behavior of L-type flange joints through numerical simulations. First, the finite element model of a 5 MW L-type flange joint is established, and its accuracy is verified based on comparison with an experimental test. Using the same loading conditions and material properties, the influences of geometrical imperfections (i.e., flange-sided gap, tower-sided gap) on the structural response are investigated. Furthermore, the impact of the flange gap opening length is reported. The results show that the flange-sided gap outperforms the tower-sided gap, resulting in reduced stress concentration in the bolt. In addition, the stresses in flange-sided gapping joints increase with an increase in the opening length.

Keywords: wind turbines; L-type flange joint; experimental test; failure mode (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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