ACI announces new publication on design of concrete wind turbine towers

Farmington Hills, Mich. — The American Concrete Institute (ACI) announced the availability of a new report for concrete industry professionals — ACI ITG-9R-16: Report on Design of Concrete Wind Turbine Towers (https://www.concrete.org/store/productdetail.aspx?ItemID=ITG916).

This report examines the design of concrete towers for land-based wind turbines with heights in excess of 325 feet, including construction alternatives, design criteria, design methodologies, and guidance for preliminary design of concrete towers. Additional content on maximum wind forces, fatigue, dynamic effects from wind and turbine operations, design of connections, and more, is included.

The new report is the result of cooperation between the ACI Foundation’s Strategic Development Council and industry leaders, who identified concrete wind turbine towers as an industry-critical technology for the concrete industry.

“Wind turbines have become an important part of renewable energy resources globally. Increasing wind turbine efficiency is pushing builders to reach higher for ‘Tall Air’ with bigger turbines, thus exceeding the ability of steel towers to be practical and economical supports,” states Charles Hanskat, Chair, ACI Innovation Task Group 9 on Concrete Wind Turbine Towers. “This new report is important to the concrete industry as it evaluates industry research, develops international standards for wind turbine towers, and integrates the knowledge gathered into a concise, concrete-focused document to allow a designer to evaluate concrete construction of these larger towers.”