Abstract: A wind turbine installation comprises anchor bolts having a sheath or sleeve which extends above the cement foundation and the overlying grout layer. If desired, the sleeve may partially extend inside the base flange of the wind turbine tower. The sleeve may be manufactured from polypropylene, polyethylene or other materials having satisfactory mechanical properties, primarily that the material be capable of withstanding sufficient plastic deformation to cause the material to conform to the shape of the threads of the anchor bolts without the material failing. This swaging operation results in a crimped end which forms an interference fit with the threads of the anchor bolt thereby preventing or limiting the intrusion of water or other liquids into the bolt-sleeve annulus during the installation of the turbine foundation.

Abstract: A foundation for a tall vertical structure, such as a wind turbine installation, features anchor bolts having a grout cap slid over the anchor bolt, where the grout cap has a flared skirt which seals against the open annulus formed by the anchor bolt and its accompanying PVC sleeve, where the top of the PVC sleeve is generally flush with the bottom of the grout trough. The grout cap extends from its bottom which abuts the bottom of the grout trough, up and extending at least partially into a bolt hole in the tower flange. A method of protecting anchor bolts utilizing the grout cap is also described.

Abstract: A wind turbine installation comprises anchor bolts having a sheath or sleeve which extends above the cement foundation and the overlying grout layer. If desired, the sleeve may partially extend inside the base flange of the wind turbine tower. The sleeve may be manufactured from polypropylene, polyethylene or other materials having satisfactory mechanical properties, primarily that the material be capable of withstanding sufficient plastic deformation to cause the material to conform to the shape of the threads of the anchor bolts without the material failing. This swaging operation results in a crimped end which forms an interference fit with the threads of the anchor bolt thereby preventing or limiting the intrusion of water or other liquids into the bolt-sleeve annulus during the installation of the turbine foundation.

Abstract: In a foundation for a wind turbine, the foundation has a large number of anchor bolts which are axially placed within the bore hole for mounting a tower flange of the wind turbine. In contrast to the practiced method, the present invention utilizes the fabrication of separate bolt packages, in which the bolts of each bolt package are configured to have an inner arc of bolts and outer arc of bolts, where each bolt in the bolt package is retained, by position retention means, in a fixed position with respect to the position of the other anchor bolts in the pre-assembled package. The present invention describes the position retention means for forming each pre-assembled package and a method of using the position retentions for constructing a foundation for a wind turbine.

Abstract: A wind turbine installation comprises anchor bolts having a sheath or sleeve which extends above the cement foundation and the overlying grout layer. If desired, the sleeve may partially extend inside the base flange of the wind turbine tower. The sleeve may be manufactured from polypropylene, polyethylene or other materials having satisfactory mechanical properties, primarily that the material be capable of withstanding sufficient plastic deformation to cause the material to conform to the shape of the threads of the anchor bolts without the material failing. This swaging operation results in a crimped end which forms an interference fit with the threads of the anchor bolt thereby preventing or limiting the intrusion of water or other liquids into the bolt-sleeve annulus during the installation of the turbine foundation.

Abstract: A foundation for a tall vertical structure, such as a wind turbine installation, features anchor bolts having a grout cap slid over the anchor bolt, where the grout cap has a flared skirt which seals against the open annulus formed by the anchor bolt and its accompanying PVC sleeve, where the top of the PVC sleeve is generally flush with the bottom of the grout trough. The grout cap extends from its bottom which abuts the bottom of the grout trough, up and extending at least partially into a bolt hole in the tower flange. A method of protecting anchor bolts utilizing the grout cap is also described.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in providing a level grout surface for placement of a wind turbine tower flange, the apparatus comprising a template member levelly suspended on the anchor bolts above the grout trough, wherein the template member comprises a surface to which grout will not adhere. The template member can comprise an upper layer and a lower grout engagement layer, wherein the grout engagement layer comprises a surface to which grout will not adhere. The upper layer can comprise a metallic layer, and the lower layer can comprise a plastic layer, wherein the upper layer and the lower layer are bonded together. The lower layer can comprise polypropylene. The means of bonding are selected from the group consisting of mechanical bonding, thermal bonding and chemical bonding. The grout can comprise an epoxy grout. The template member can be suspended through the use of magnetic nuts or the use of a rotating sleeve. The template member can comprise a plurality of sections, and can comprise a circular form.

Abstract: The anchor bolt cap for placement over an anchor bolt and nut assembly has an anchor bolt nut enclosure with bottom and top sides, a tubular anchor bolt enclosure member with bottom and top ends, and an end cap with a closed top side and an open bottom side. The distance between the tubular anchor bolt enclosure member bottom and top ends is variable. The tubular anchor bolt enclosure member top end is connected to the end cap open bottom side, and the bottom end is connected to the anchor bolt nut enclosure top side. The anchor bolt nut enclosure bottom side can have a groove containing an o-ring, or a bottom flange member with a groove containing an o-ring. The anchor bolt nut enclosure top side can have a flange. The connection means can be thermal or chemical welding, or mating threads.

Abstract: A bolt greaser unit for lubricating the exposed top ends of anchor bolts that secure the base tower of wind generators to the foundation that is formed in the ground. The bolt greaser unit has a vertically oriented tubular housing having a base member secured to its bottom end and a circular cap member detachably secured to its top end. The interior chamber of the tubular housing has a plurality of vertically oriented rod members having their bottom ends screwed into the top surface of the base member. Each rod member has a brush member telescopically received thereon. The top end of the rod members pass through apertures in the circular cap member and are secured in position by nuts. A universal joint structure is fixedly secured to the top surface of the cap member and it has a four sided shank portion extending upwardly that is telescopically received in the bore hole of a socket mounted on the drive shaft of a cordless power tool that would be used to rotate the bolt greaser unit.

Abstract: An anchor bolt cap for the top ends of anchor bolts that extend upwardly out of a base foundation onto which is mounted the tower base of a wind generator that produces electricity by rotation of the blades of the wind generator. The bottom end of the tower base of the wind generator has an outer annular flange and an inner annular flange each having a plurality of apertures spaced from each around the entire periphery of the respective flanges. The anchor bolts pass upwardly through these respective apertures and have a washer and nut threaded onto each of the respective anchor bolts for locking the tower base to the top of the base foundation. The anchor bolt caps are installed over the top ends of the respective anchor bolts and prevent moisture from attacking the anchor bolts and thereby prevent corrosion of the anchor bolts.