The Importance of Wind Turbine Foundation Anchor Bolts

The importance of wind turbine foundation anchor bolts

Wind power is a clean and renewable energy source that has been widely applied and developed worldwide. As the main connecting components of wind turbines, anchor bolts play a crucial role. In wind turbines, a large number of high-strength anchor bolts are used. They are used to fasten the brake disc, connect tower components, and lock the main shaft to the gear ring gear frame. Almost all key components are connected with high-strength bolts. They are crucial for the stability of wind turbines in long-term field service, harsh environments, and poor maintenance conditions. Under normal continuous working conditions, the bolt connections of wind turbines must ensure a service life of more than 15 years.

Due to the randomness of its power source, the harsh operating conditions, the uniqueness of manufacturing and installation, and the high maintenance costs, wind turbines set extremely high requirements for anchor bolt connections. Necessary measures must be taken based on their structural design and manufacturing characteristics. At the same time, necessary measures must also be taken in process, workshop, and on-site production assembly to ensure that anchor bolt connections are reliable. Most wind turbines use high-strength anchor bolts with a grade of 10.9, and a few use 8.8 or 12.9. The quality of high-strength anchor bolts for wind turbines is largely influenced by raw materials. From aspects such as appearance quality, chemical composition, low magnification structure, decarburization depth, non-metallic inclusions, microstructure (grain size), and rolling test, they all have a significant impact on the quality of anchor bolts.