Windmill tower

A windmill comprising:

• a propeller for rotating about a generally horizontal axis;
• a tower supporting the propeller above the ground so that the horizontal axis of propeller rotation is fixed relative to the tower;
• and
• means for pivoting the tower and propeller as a unit about an essentially upright axis in response to changes in wind direction so the propeller can maintain a position upwind of the tower;
• the tower having a pair of upwardly converging fixed fore legs adjacent the propeller;
• a diagonal bracing strut having a bottom spaced aft of bottoms of the fore legs with respect to the axis of propeller rotation, the diagonal bracing strut extending upwardly toward a point of convergence of the fore legs;
• means rigidly interconnecting top portions of the fore legs and the diagonal bracing strut;
• means rigidly interconnecting bottom portions of the fore legs and the diagonal bracing strut;
• and fixed load-taking beams having top portions spaced aft of the point of convergence of the fore legs and the diagonal bracing strut and converging downwardly toward the bottoms of corresponding fore legs for resisting torsional moments acting in a horizontal plane at said top portions of the fore legs and the diagonal bracing strut.

A windmill tower comprising:

• a propeller;
• a tower supporting the propeller above the ground;
• the propeller having blades for rotating in a plane adjacent a front side of the tower;
• means for pivoting the tower and the propeller as a unit about an upright axis generally parallel to the propeller plane of rotation;
• the tower including a front truss frame spaced aft of the propeller, the front truss frame having a pair of upwardly extending opposite front edges;
• and a pair of side truss frames converging away from the front edges of the front truss frame in an aft direction with respect to the plane of propeller rotation;
• each truss frame having a respective base in a base plane of the tower;
• the front truss frame being relatively wider at its base and tapering narrower toward an apex at a top of the tower, the side truss frames each having a relatively wider base and upwardly extending portions tapering narrower toward said apex;
• means rigidly interconnecting the bases of the front truss frame and the side truss frames as a rigid triangular base plane truss frame;
• and
• means securing upwardly extending portions of the front truss frame and the side truss frames together as a rigid unit.

A windmill tower comprising:

• a tower;
• a propeller supported atop the tower for rotation in an upright plane spaced in front of the tower, said rotation being about a generally horizontal axis of rotation;
• means for pivoting the tower and the propeller as a unit about a generally upright axis spaced aft of the plane of propeller rotation;
• and
• a load coupled to a shaft on the propeller axis of rotation supported by the tower aft of the plane of propeller rotation;
• the tower having rigidly interconnected structural frames in three generally upright planes converging upwardly toward an apex from a rigid base of the tower, the load being supported in the vicinity of said apex;
• the structural frames forming a front face and a pair of rearwardly converging side faces of the tower;
• the front face having front load-taking members supporting said load;
• the side frames having a rear load-taking member for resisting compressive loads due to thrust forces on the front face of the tower;
• and torsional load-taking members fixed with respect to the side faces of the tower and having top portions thereof located aft of the apex for supporting said load and converging downwardly toward bottom portions of the front load-taking members so as to cooperate with the front load-taking members to resist torsional moments acting in a horizontal plane in the vicinity of said load.