Wind turbine foundation structure, and method for producing a wind turbine foundation structure

Abstract

A wind turbine foundation structure comprising a hollow structural member having a longitudinally extending circumferential wall, the wall being bounded at the top by a top end face and bounded at the bottom by a bottom end face, wherein the wall is formed from a mineral building material and in that a wall thickness of the wall tapers from the top end face towards the bottom end face.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A wind power plant comprising:
 a wind turbine foundation structure installable in a seabed of a sea, the wind turbine foundation structure comprising
 a hollow structural element configured to be driven and/or vibrated into a seabed of a sea and having a longitudinally extending circumferential wall formed as a monolithic piece, the wall being bounded at a top by a top end face and bounded at a bottom by a bottom end face, with the wall formed of a mineral building material, 
   a tower of a wind turbine overlying the top end face of the hollow structural element,   wherein the hollow structural element is configured to support the wind turbine including the tower,   wherein, when installed in the seabed of the sea, the top end face is configured to be above sea level of seawater of the sea, and the bottom end face is configured to be founded into the seabed,   wherein the bottom end face of the hollow structural element is smaller than the top end face of the hollow structural element and is provided with a wedge,   wherein the hollow structural element is cylindrical, and   wherein a wall thickness of the wall of the hollow structural element has a continuous taper along at least a portion of a longitudinal extension of the hollow structural element from the top end face to the bottom end face.   
     
     
         17 . The wind power plant according to  claim 16 , further comprising at least one of:
 the building material contains cement, or   the building material has a water/cement ratio of less than 0.45, or   the building material has a strength class of at least C40/50 according to EN 206 and EN 1992, or   the building material has a pore content of air voids of less than 5%, or   the building material has a cement content of at least 350 kg/m 3 , or   in a mercury pressure porosimetric measurement, the building material has a porosity P 28d  of less than 12 vol %, and P 90d  of less than 10 vol %.   
     
     
         18 . The wind power plant according to  claim 16 , wherein the wall is mechanically prestressed with a prestressing force of more than 5% of a compressive strength of the wall. 
     
     
         19 . The wind power plant according to  claim 16 , further comprising at least one of:
 the building material is metal-reinforced, or   the building material comprises concrete reinforced with a reinforcement, and the reinforcement, at 98% of all measuring points, has not less than 26 mm concrete cover, or   the building material is reinforced with ferritic stainless reinforcing steel having a chromium content which does not exceed 18 M %, and optionally contains molybdenum, or   the building material is reinforced with austenitic stainless reinforcing steel which contains at least 5 M % to 14 M % nickel and 12 M % to 22 M % chromium, or   the building material is reinforced with ferritic-austenitic stainless reinforcing steel which contains at least 18 M % chromium, 2 M % to 8 M % nickel, and optionally molybdenum.   
     
     
         20 . The wind turbine foundation structure according to  claim 16 , wherein the top end face is metallically reinforced. 
     
     
         21 . The wind power plant according to  claim 20 , wherein a metallic reinforcement projects out of the top end face. 
     
     
         22 . The wind power plant according to  claim 21 , wherein the metallic reinforcement comprises a circumference that completely projects out of the top end face. 
     
     
         23 . The wind power plant according to  claim 16 , wherein the hollow structural element is reinforced with a reinforcement, and a density of the reinforcement in an end region of the hollow structural element is greater than in a central region of the hollow structural element. 
     
     
         24 . The wind power plant according to  claim 16 , wherein a radially outwardly facing collar is formed on an outer lateral surface of the wall in an end region of the hollow structural element. 
     
     
         25 . The wind power plant according to  claim 16 , wherein the building material is sealed. 
     
     
         26 . The wind power plant according to  claim 25 , wherein the building material is sealed with a sealing foil. 
     
     
         27 . The wind power plant according to  claim 16 , wherein the hollow structural element has a longitudinal extension of >45 m. 
     
     
         28 . The wind power plant according to  claim 16 , wherein the hollow structural element is a slip formed hollow structural element. 
     
     
         29 . The wind power plant according to  claim 16 , wherein the hollow structural element is a jump formed hollow structural element. 
     
     
         30 . The wind power plant according to  claim 16 , wherein a longitudinal extension of the hollow structural element is at least 50% of a longitudinal extension of the wind turbine foundation structure. 
     
     
         31 . The wind power plant according to  claim 16 , wherein the hollow structural element has an inner diameter, and
 wherein the inner diameter increases along at least the portion of the longitudinal extension of the hollow structural element having the taper of the wall thickness.   
     
     
         32 . The wind power plant according to  claim 16 , wherein the hollow structural element has an outer diameter, and
 wherein the outer diameter decreases along at least the portion of the longitudinal extension of the hollow structural element having the taper of the wall thickness.   
     
     
         33 . The wind power plant according to  claim 16 , wherein the wall thickness of the wall of the hollow structural element has the continuous taper along all of the length of the longitudinal extension of the hollow structural element from the top end face to the bottom end face. 
     
     
         34 . The wind power plant according to  claim 16 , wherein a transition piece is disposed between the hollow structural element and the tower. 
     
     
         35 . The wind power plant according to  claim 34 , wherein the hollow structural element is connected to the tower via the transition piece. 
     
     
         36 . A wind power plant comprising:
 a wind turbine foundation structure installable in a seabed of a sea, the wind turbine foundation structure comprising
 a hollow structural element configured to be driven and/or vibrated into a seabed of a sea and having a longitudinally extending circumferential wall formed as a monolithic piece, the wall being bounded at a top by a top end face and bounded at a bottom by a bottom end face, with the wall formed of a mineral building material, 
   a transition piece overlying the top end face of the hollow structural element,   wherein the hollow structural element and the transition piece are configured to support at least one of a wind turbine, a substation, or a transformer station,   wherein, when installed in the seabed of the sea, the top end face is configured to be above sea level of seawater of the sea, and the bottom end face is configured to be founded into the seabed,   wherein the bottom end face of the hollow structural element is smaller than the top end face of the hollow structural element and is provided with a wedge,   wherein the hollow structural element is cylindrical, and   wherein a wall thickness of the wall of the hollow structural element has a continuous taper along at least a portion of a longitudinal extension of the hollow structural element from the top end face to the bottom end face.   
     
     
         37 . The wind power plant according to  claim 36 , wherein a tower of a wind turbine overlies the hollow structural element and the transition piece.