Foundation with pedestal and ribs for towers

Abstract

A wind turbine foundation comprising a concrete support slab having a horizontal rebar grid therein, a concrete pedestal integral with the support slab and having vertical post tensioning elements therein and a plurality of concrete ribs on top of and integral with the support slab and integral with the pedestal, the ribs having rebar therein and extend outwardly from the pedestal, the pedestal, slab and ribs are connected to each other to form a monolithic foundation. The foundation design reduces the weight and volume of materials used, reduces cost, and improves heat dissipation conditions during construction by having a small ratio of concrete mass to surface area thus eliminating the risk of thermal cracking due to heat of hydration.

1 . A cast in situ wind turbine foundation comprising: a concrete slab-on-grade, having horizontal rebar therein; a laterally restrained and vertically prestressed concrete pedestal with a base and a predetermined height, the pedestal being integral with the support slab, and having vertical rebar and bursting reinforcing around and an array of vertical post tensioning elements therein; an array of ribs conjointly cast and integral with the pedestal, the ribs comprising horizontal cantilevered girders of tapering height that are fixed to the pedestal at inner ends thereof such that the minimum height dimension of the ribs is proximate to the slab at outer ends of the foundation and a maximum height dimension proximate to a top of the pedestal at the junctions of the ribs with the pedestal, and each rib having diagonally extending upper flexure reinforcing elements with embedded connection elements extending from the rib into the pedestal through the vertical rebar and vertical post-tensioning elements; connection elements extending from the ribs into the slab at spaced intervals along a length dimension of the ribs; a tower base supported atop the pedestal; wherein the pedestal is kept under a combination of heavy post compression stress and lateral confinement to thereby provide reduced stress range amplitudes, reduced deflections, increased bearing capacity and improved fatigue resistance, wherein the foundation includes a post tensioning element extending between the distal ends of each of the pairs of the ribs and comprising continuous concrete girders.