The trend of large-scale development of wind power equipment is becoming increasingly evident. The single-unit capacity has increased from 2MW to over 10MW, and the diameter of the tower frame often exceeds 6 meters. Along with this, there are higher requirements for the forming and welding quality of the internal support rings.
Some wind power projects have experienced problems with cracking in the internal welds during the operation and maintenance stage. When tracing the cause, it is often due to the deviation in ellipticity when the forming equipment rolled the ring plates. During the welding process, if the joint gap is too large, it can only be compensated by filling the weld seam, which greatly increases the risk of cracks in the later stage.
When customers inspect the equipment, they rarely directly mention this point. However, in actual use, whether the ring plates of the tower frame can achieve a diameter control of ±1mm almost determines the amount of welding work and the performance of the welding process.
Therefore, the competition in the equipment of the wind power industry is not only about "whether thick plates can be rolled", but also about whether it can reduce the amount of post-welding repair and make the welding process truly "have margin". This is the actual value that customers care about.