Scanning for ideas: Damper steadies wind turbines

Nov. 21, 2007
A company building relatively low-cost, steel-tube towers for wind turbines was able to lower the price of construction by 30%, but was having difficulty with large, transient wind loads shaking the structure.

This can throw the propeller, bearings, turbine, or other drivetrain components out of alignment, then they wear and fail prematurely. To stiffen the tower without adding much weight, the company called on Lord Corp., Cary, N.C. (lord.com), to adapt one of its Fluidastic dampers.

The damper can bleed off more than 50% of 300,000-lb loads, despite short strokes. It provides bidirectional damping at frequencies from 0.25 to 0.45 Hz, the band that caused resonant vibrations in the tower. The dampers should last 20 years without maintenance.

Circle 402

Sponsored Recommendations

NEW Low Profile, Ultra Compact Power Supplies

March 13, 2024
Learn more HERE about Altech's Power supplies!

Altech's Liquid Tight Strain Relifs Catalog

March 13, 2024
With experienced Product Engineers and Customer Service personnel, Altech provides solutions to your most pressing application challenges. All with one thought in mind - to ensure...

Industrial Straight-Through Cable Gland

March 13, 2024
Learn more about Altech's cable glands and all they have to offer for your needs!

All-In-One DC-UPS Power Solutions

March 13, 2024
Introducing the All-In-One DC-UPS, a versatile solution combining multiple functionalities in a single device. Serving as a power supply, battery charger, battery care module,...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Machine Design, create an account today!