Campus Units
Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering
Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Published Version
Publication Date
11-2015
Journal or Book Title
PCI Journal
Volume
60
Issue
6
First Page
33
Last Page
38
Abstract
Wind-energy production has been growing rapidly in the Midwest, but not in other regions of the United States. Increased wind-turbine hub heights of 328 to 459 ft (100 to 140 m) could drastically change this. As wind-turbine towers get taller than 263 ft (80 m), a concrete solution may become more cost-effective than the steel tubular option. The Hexcrete concept was developed with the aim of revolutionizing wind-turbine towers for hub heights of 328 ft (100 m) and more. This tower uses hexagonal columns with posttensioning and rectangular/tapered panels as bracing elements. The prefabricated modules are assembled using posttensioning to form a tapered tower with a hexagonal cross section. Large-scale testing has been used to validate the Hexcrete concept and its connections.
Research Focus Area
Geotechnical/Materials Engineering, Structural Engineering
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Sritharan, Sri, "Wind Turbine Towers: Precast concrete Hexcrete may help increase renewable energy capacity with taller hub height" (2015). Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering Publications. 169.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ccee_pubs/169
Included in
Civil Engineering Commons, Energy Systems Commons, Geotechnical Engineering Commons, Structural Engineering Commons, Structural Materials Commons
Comments
This article is published as Sritharan, S. 2015. Wind Turbine Towers: Precast concrete Hexcrete may help increase renewable energy capacity with taller hub height. PCI Journal 60 (6):33-38. Posted with permission.