In the construction of wind turbine foundations, accurate bolt templates are critical in the precise placement of bolts in the bolt cage. Improper placement can result in delays while setting the tower base as well as resulting in bent or damaged bolts. Bolt templates can also serve to form a grout trough, which is patented by Alan Henderson of Patrick and Henderson Engineering.
The traditional one-piece templates are heavy, expensive and difficult to transport. Clearly, safety issues are also a concern. To address these concerns, Norm Tooman Construction has developed and patented a segmented template that is lighter, easier to transport and safer to handle.
The “full-floating template” divides the traditional template into easy to manage segments. Each segment is light enough, at approximately 40 pounds, for employees to safely handle by hand and the full set is easily moved from one foundation to another in the back of a pickup truck. Yet, the full-floating template is strong enough to suspend bolts for leveling at the mud mate. The full-floating template is designed to be absolutely parallel with the embed plate, making leveling quick and easy. Using Norm Tooman Construction’s patent pending bolt spacers, Wiggle Bars™, in conjunction with the full-floating templates allows bolts to be tied horizontally at ground level, lifted and installed in the bolt cage in batches of up to 20 bolts at a time.
Traditional bolt cage construction has changed very little over the years. As the wind industry continues to mature, it should be our primary objective to seek out safer, less expensive and more efficient construction methods. Norm Tooman Construction’s full-floating template is a straightforward, easy step toward enhanced safety, savings and efficiency. For more information, visit www.normtoomanconst.com or call 760-408-9878.
