Falling (slinging) Ice Shields
Falling (slinging) Ice Shields
(OP)
We've seen a lot of newly constructed wind turbine generators go up all over the country.
In the northland, with snow and ice, there is the fact that ice can build up on the blades and eventually fall, or get slung, off the blades.
For equipment (transformer) located near the base of the tower, there is the fear of ice damage from this ice.
Question:
Are there any design guides, codes, provisions, etc. that deal with falling ice from towers, or more specifically, from wind turbines?
In the northland, with snow and ice, there is the fact that ice can build up on the blades and eventually fall, or get slung, off the blades.
For equipment (transformer) located near the base of the tower, there is the fear of ice damage from this ice.
Question:
Are there any design guides, codes, provisions, etc. that deal with falling ice from towers, or more specifically, from wind turbines?






RE: Falling (slinging) Ice Shields
http://web1.msue.msu.edu/cdnr/icethrowseifertb.pdf
RE: Falling (slinging) Ice Shields
Primarily looking for design guidance on shielding structrues over equipment - I know it is impact loading and perhaps difficult to establish, but would like to be sure that we "know" what is out there in terms of design knowledge so we can stand on the phrase: "did what a reasonable engineer would do".
RE: Falling (slinging) Ice Shields
RE: Falling (slinging) Ice Shields
Dik
RE: Falling (slinging) Ice Shields
Poses the old question of what scenarious we design for, as long as we can forsee them.
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
Motto: KISS
Motivation: Don't ask
RE: Falling (slinging) Ice Shields
Another is the missile impact tests (TAS documents) in the Florida Building Code for windborne debris.
Ron
RE: Falling (slinging) Ice Shields
RE: Falling (slinging) Ice Shields
The solution was to create a structure above the roof in order to support grating that would break up the ice into smaller pieces that the roof could handle. This was done many years ago, and during a site visit a few years ago, was still in use. The problem that he had during the design was coming up with the amount of falling ice and defining the force delivered to the system.