EP3787882A1 - Procédés de fabrication de composants de pale de rotor pour une éolienne - Google Patents
Procédés de fabrication de composants de pale de rotor pour une éolienneInfo
- Publication number
- EP3787882A1 EP3787882A1 EP18917145.7A EP18917145A EP3787882A1 EP 3787882 A1 EP3787882 A1 EP 3787882A1 EP 18917145 A EP18917145 A EP 18917145A EP 3787882 A1 EP3787882 A1 EP 3787882A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- pultruded
- rotor blade
- pultruded member
- placing
- members
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Pending
Links
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Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
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- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C70/00—Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts
- B29C70/04—Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts comprising reinforcements only, e.g. self-reinforcing plastics
- B29C70/28—Shaping operations therefor
- B29C70/30—Shaping by lay-up, i.e. applying fibres, tape or broadsheet on a mould, former or core; Shaping by spray-up, i.e. spraying of fibres on a mould, former or core
- B29C70/34—Shaping by lay-up, i.e. applying fibres, tape or broadsheet on a mould, former or core; Shaping by spray-up, i.e. spraying of fibres on a mould, former or core and shaping or impregnating by compression, i.e. combined with compressing after the lay-up operation
- B29C70/342—Shaping by lay-up, i.e. applying fibres, tape or broadsheet on a mould, former or core; Shaping by spray-up, i.e. spraying of fibres on a mould, former or core and shaping or impregnating by compression, i.e. combined with compressing after the lay-up operation using isostatic pressure
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C70/00—Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts
- B29C70/04—Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts comprising reinforcements only, e.g. self-reinforcing plastics
- B29C70/28—Shaping operations therefor
- B29C70/40—Shaping or impregnating by compression not applied
- B29C70/42—Shaping or impregnating by compression not applied for producing articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles
- B29C70/44—Shaping or impregnating by compression not applied for producing articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles using isostatic pressure, e.g. pressure difference-moulding, vacuum bag-moulding, autoclave-moulding or expanding rubber-moulding
- B29C70/443—Shaping or impregnating by compression not applied for producing articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles using isostatic pressure, e.g. pressure difference-moulding, vacuum bag-moulding, autoclave-moulding or expanding rubber-moulding and impregnating by vacuum or injection
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C70/00—Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts
- B29C70/68—Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts by incorporating or moulding on preformed parts, e.g. inserts or layers, e.g. foam blocks
- B29C70/86—Incorporated in coherent impregnated reinforcing layers, e.g. by winding
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29D—PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE
- B29D99/00—Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
- B29D99/0025—Producing blades or the like, e.g. blades for turbines, propellers, or wings
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29D—PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE
- B29D99/00—Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
- B29D99/0025—Producing blades or the like, e.g. blades for turbines, propellers, or wings
- B29D99/0028—Producing blades or the like, e.g. blades for turbines, propellers, or wings hollow blades
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F03D—WIND MOTORS
- F03D1/00—Wind motors with rotation axis substantially parallel to the air flow entering the rotor
- F03D1/06—Rotors
- F03D1/065—Rotors characterised by their construction elements
- F03D1/0675—Rotors characterised by their construction elements of the blades
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C70/00—Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts
- B29C70/04—Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts comprising reinforcements only, e.g. self-reinforcing plastics
- B29C70/28—Shaping operations therefor
- B29C70/40—Shaping or impregnating by compression not applied
- B29C70/50—Shaping or impregnating by compression not applied for producing articles of indefinite length, e.g. prepregs, sheet moulding compounds [SMC] or cross moulding compounds [XMC]
- B29C70/52—Pultrusion, i.e. forming and compressing by continuously pulling through a die
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
- Y02E10/70—Wind energy
- Y02E10/72—Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
- Y02P70/00—Climate change mitigation technologies in the production process for final industrial or consumer products
- Y02P70/50—Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
Definitions
- the present subject matter relates generally to wind turbine rotor blades and, more particularly, to methods for manufacturing rotor blade components, such as spar caps, for a wind turbine using pultruded members.
- a modem wind turbine typically includes a tower, generator, gearbox, nacelle, and one or more rotor blades.
- the rotor blades capture kinetic energy from wind using known foil principles and transmit the kinetic energy through rotational energy to turn a shaft coupling the rotor blades to a gearbox, or if a gearbox is not used, directly to the generator.
- the generator then converts the mechanical energy to electrical energy that may be deployed to a utility grid.
- Wind turbine rotor blades generally include a body shell formed by two shell halves of a composite laminate material.
- the shell halves are generally manufactured using molding processes and then coupled together along the corresponding edges of the rotor blade.
- the body shell is relatively lightweight and has structural properties (e.g., stiffness, buckling resistance and strength) which are not configured to withstand the bending moments and other loads exerted on the rotor blade during operation.
- structural properties e.g., stiffness, buckling resistance and strength
- wind turbine blades are becoming increasingly longer in order to produce more power. As a result, the blades must be stiffer and thus heavier so as to mitigate loads on the rotor.
- the body shell is typically reinforced using one or more structural components (e.g. opposing spar caps with a shear web configured therebetween) that engage the inner surfaces of the shell halves.
- the spar caps may be constructed of various materials, including but not limited to glass fiber laminate composites and/or carbon fiber laminate composites. Such materials, however, can be difficult to control, defect prone, and/or highly labor intensive due to handling of the dry fabrics and the challenges of infusing large laminated structures.
- modem spar caps may be constructed of pre-fabricated, pre-cured (e.g. pultruded) composites that can be produced in thicker sections, and are typically less susceptible to defects.
- the terms“pultruded composites,” “pultrusions,”“pultruded members” or similar generally encompass reinforced materials (e.g. fibers or woven or braided strands) that are impregnated with a resin and pulled through a heated stationary die such that the resin cures or undergoes polymerization.
- the process of manufacturing pultruded composites is typically characterized by a continuous process of composite materials that produces composite parts having a constant cross-section. Accordingly, the pultruded composites can eliminate various concerns and challenges associated with using dry fabric alone.
- pultrusions are have a flat cross-section (e.g. are square or rectangular) because such shapes are easy to cut and bevel.
- flat pultrusions can offer a significant improvement in cost and producability of rotor blade components, such pultrusions do not typically lay into curved molds without gaps between the pultrusions and the mold shape. Conformance to the mold can be achieved to a certain degree by breaking the pultrusions into thinner strips; however, this increases the cost of the pultrusion material, the cost of machining the pultrusions, and/or the difficulty of placing the pieces into the mold.
- the present disclosure is directed to a method of manufacturing a rotor blade component of a wind turbine.
- the method includes placing at least one first pultruded member into a curved rotor blade component mold. More specifically, the first pultruded member includes at least one design
- the method also includes placing at least one second pultruded member atop the at least one first pultruded member and infusing the first and second pultruded members together to form the rotor blade component.
- the rotor blade component may include a spar cap, a bond cap, a root ring, or any other rotor blade component having a curved shape.
- the design characteristic(s) of the first pultruded member(s) may include a curved surface, one or more tapered side edges, and/or a reduced width.
- a first side of the first pultruded member(s) may include the curved surface, whereas an opposing surface of the pultruded member may be flat.
- the method may include placing a plurality of first pultruded members having a reduced width in a side-by-side configuration.
- the method may include placing a plurality of first pultruded members atop one another (i.e. in a stacked configuration).
- a lower first pultruded member may have a curved surface, whereas one or more upper first pultruded members may have tapered side edges.
- the upper and lower first pultruded members have a shape that more closely corresponds to the inner surface of the curved rotor blade component mold than conventional rectangular pultrusions.
- the method may include placing a plurality of second pultruded members atop the flat surface of the first pultruded member(s). In additional embodiments, the method may include placing the plurality of second pultruded members atop the first pultruded member(s) in a side-by-side configuration, i.e. in two or more stacks.
- the method may include placing one or more fiber materials in the curved rotor blade component mold prior to placing the at least one first pultruded member, e.g. so as to account for deviations in the curvature of the mold.
- the present disclosure is directed to a method of manufacturing a rotor blade component of a wind turbine.
- the method includes placing a plurality of wet rovings onto an inner surface of a curved rotor blade component mold.
- rovings generally encompass long and narrow bundles of fibers that are not combined until joined by a cured resin.
- the method also includes vibrating the wet rovings until they sit substantially flush against the inner surface of the curved rotor blade component mold.
- the method includes placing at least pultruded member atop the plurality of wet rovings.
- the method includes infusing the plurality of wet rovings and the pultruded members together to form the rotor blade component.
- the present disclosure is directed to a rotor blade of a wind turbine.
- the rotor blade includes a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge extending between a blade tip and a blade root.
- the rotor blade includes a spar cap configured with at least one of the pressure side or the suction side of the rotor blade.
- the spar cap includes at least one first pultruded member having a design characteristic configured to allow the first pultruded member to sit substantially flush against an inner surface of a curved rotor blade component mold.
- the spar cap includes at least one second pultruded member arranged adjacent to and infused with the at least one first pultruded member via a resin material.
- the rotor blade may include any of the additional features as described herein.
- FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of a wind turbine according to the present disclosure
- FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of one of the rotor blades of FIG. 1;
- FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the rotor blade of FIG. 2 along line 3-3;
- FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a spar cap according to the present disclosure, particularly illustrating a spar cap formed from a first pultruded member having a curved surface and an opposing flat surface with a plurality of second pultruded members stacked against the flat surface of the first pultruded member;
- FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of one of the pultruded members of the spar cap of FIG. 4;
- FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a spar cap according to the present disclosure, particularly illustrating a spar cap formed from a plurality of first pultruded members having a curved surface and/or tapered side edges with a plurality of second pultruded members stacked against the first pultruded members;
- FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a spar cap according to the present disclosure, particularly illustrating a spar cap formed from a plurality of first pultruded members having a curved surface and a reduced width and arranged in a side-by-side configuration with a plurality of second pultruded members stacked against the first pultruded members;
- FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic view of one embodiment of a rotor blade component mold with first and second pultruded members being placed therein and vacuum infused together according to the present disclosure
- FIG. 9 illustrates a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method of manufacturing rotor blade components according to the present disclosure.
- FIG. 10 illustrates a flow diagram of another embodiment of a method of manufacturing rotor blade components according to the present disclosure.
- the present disclosure is directed to a method of manufacturing a rotor blade component of a wind turbine.
- the method includes placing at least one first pultruded member into a curved rotor blade component mold. More specifically, the first pultruded member includes at least one design characteristic configured to allow the first pultruded member to sit substantially flush against an inner surface of the curved rotor blade component mold.
- the method also includes placing at least one second pultruded member atop the at least one first pultruded member and infusing, e.g. via vacuum infusion, the first and second pultruded members together to form the rotor blade component.
- the assembly and joining of the pultruded members can take place in either a dedicated prefabrication mold (e.g. a spar cap mold), directly in a blade shell mold, or, for example, in a spar beam assembly mold.
- a dedicated prefabrication mold e.g. a spar cap mold
- the pultruded members may also be appropriate to interleave materials which facilitate the infusion process.
- the pultruded members may also be joined by interleaving the pultruded members with pre-preg material, using film adhesive(s), and/or any other suitable joining technology.
- the present disclosure provides many advantages not present in the prior art.
- the uniquely-shaped first pultruded member more easily enables full width flat pultruded plates to be utilized in construction of the rotor blade component.
- the methods of the present disclosure provide simpler cut and bevel operation due to fewer pultrusion pieces.
- the methods of the present disclosure also provide simpler handling of the completed stack of cut and/or beveled pultruded members.
- the methods described herein reduce bending of the flat pultruded members under vacuum pressure.
- FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a horizontal axis wind turbine 10.
- the wind turbine 10 may also be a vertical-axis wind turbine.
- the wind turbine 10 includes a tower 12, a nacelle 14 mounted on the tower 12, and a rotor hub 18 that is coupled to the nacelle 14.
- the tower 12 may be fabricated from tubular steel or other suitable material.
- the rotor hub 18 includes one or more rotor blades 16 coupled to and extending radially outward from the hub 18.
- the rotor hub 18 includes three rotor blades 16.
- the rotor hub 18 may include more or less than three rotor blades 16.
- the rotor blades 16 rotate the rotor hub 18 to enable kinetic energy to be transferred from the wind into usable mechanical energy, and subsequently, electrical energy.
- the hub 18 may be rotatably coupled to an electric generator (not illustrated) positioned within the nacelle 14 for production of electrical energy.
- FIGS. 2 and 3 one of the rotor blades 16 of FIG. 1 is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter.
- FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the rotor blade 16
- FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the rotor blade 16 along the sectional line 3-3 shown in FIG.
- the rotor blade 16 generally includes a blade root 30 configured to be mounted or otherwise secured to the hub 18 (FIG. 1) of the wind turbine 10 and a blade tip 32 disposed opposite the blade root 30.
- a body shell 21 of the rotor blade generally extends between the blade root 30 and the blade tip 32 along a longitudinal axis 27.
- the body shell 21 may generally serve as the outer casing/covering of the rotor blade 16 and may define a substantially aerodynamic profile, such as by defining a symmetrical or cambered airfoil-shaped cross-section.
- the body shell 21 may also define a pressure side 34 and a suction side 36 extending between leading and trailing ends 26, 28 of the rotor blade 16.
- the rotor blade 16 may also have a span 23 defining the total length between the blade root 30 and the blade tip 32 and a chord 25 defining the total length between the leading edge 26 and the trialing edge 28.
- the chord 25 may generally vary in length with respect to the span 23 as the rotor blade 16 extends from the blade root 30 to the blade tip 32.
- the body shell 21 of the rotor blade 16 may be formed as a single, unitary component.
- the body shell 21 may be formed from a plurality of shell components.
- the body shell 21 may be manufactured from a first shell half generally defining the pressure side 34 of the rotor blade 16 and a second shell half generally defining the suction side 36 of the rotor blade 16, with such shell halves being secured to one another at the leading and trailing ends 26, 28 of the blade 16.
- the body shell 21 may generally be formed from any suitable material.
- the body shell 21 may be formed entirely from a laminate composite material, such as a carbon fiber reinforced laminate composite or a glass fiber reinforced laminate composite.
- one or more portions of the body shell 21 may be configured as a layered construction and may include a core material, formed from a lightweight material such as wood (e.g., balsa), foam (e.g., extruded polystyrene foam) or a combination of such materials, disposed between layers of laminate composite material.
- a core material formed from a lightweight material such as wood (e.g., balsa), foam (e.g., extruded polystyrene foam) or a combination of such materials, disposed between layers of laminate composite material.
- the rotor blade 16 may also include one or more longitudinally extending structural components configured to provide increased stiffness, buckling resistance and/or strength to the rotor blade 16.
- the rotor blade 16 may include a pair of longitudinally extending spar caps 20, 22 configured to be engaged against the opposing inner surfaces 35, 37 of the pressure and suction sides 34, 36 of the rotor blade 16, respectively.
- one or more shear webs 24 may be disposed between the spar caps 20, 22 so as to form a beam- like configuration.
- the spar caps 20, 22 may generally be designed to control the bending stresses and/or other loads acting on the rotor blade 16 in a generally spanwise direction (a direction parallel to the span 23 of the rotor blade 16) during operation of a wind turbine 10. Similarly, the spar caps 20, 22 may also be designed to withstand the spanwise compression occurring during operation of the wind turbine 10
- the methods of manufacturing rotor blade components as described herein may be applied to any suitable rotor blade components.
- the rotor blade component may include a spar cap, a bond cap, a root ring, or any other rotor blade component having a curved shape.
- the rotor blade components as described herein typically include an aerodynamic shape and are constructed of unique pultrusions which more closely corresponds to the aerodynamic shape of the component on one side, and is flat on the opposite side.
- the figures illustrate the unique pultruded members 40 being used to form a spar cap 22, it should also be understood that the pultruded members 40 as described herein may be used to construct various other rotor blade components, in addition to the spar cap 22.
- FIGS. 4 and 6-7 various embodiments of a spar cap 22 according to the present disclosure are illustrated. More specifically, as shown, cross- sectional views of the spar cap 22 constructed of a plurality of pultruded members 40 or plates arranged in layers according to the present disclosure are illustrated. For example, as shown in the illustrated embodiment, each of the pultruded members 40 may form a single layer of the spar cap 22. The layers are then be stacked atop one another and joined together using any suitable means, for example, via vacuum infusion.
- FIG. 5 illustrates one of the pultruded members 40 formed of a resin material 44 reinforced with one or more fiber materials 42.
- the spar cap 22 includes at least one first pultruded member 46 having a design characteristic configured to allow the first pultruded member 46 to sit substantially flush against an inner surface of a curved rotor blade component mold and at least one flat, second pultruded member 52 arranged with the first pultruded member(s) 46.
- the first and second pultruded members 46, 52 are infused together via a resin material.
- the resin material may include a thermoplastic material or a thermoset material.
- thermoplastic material as described herein generally encompasses a plastic material or polymer that is reversible in nature.
- thermoplastic materials typically become pliable or moldable when heated to a certain temperature and solidify upon cooling.
- thermoplastic materials may include amorphous thermoplastic materials and/or semi-crystalline thermoplastic materials.
- some amorphous thermoplastic materials may generally include, but are not limited to, styrenes, vinyls, cellulosics, polyesters, acrylics, polysulphones, and/or imides.
- exemplary amorphous thermoplastic materials may include polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), glycolised polyethylene terephthalate (PET-G), polycarbonate, polyvinyl acetate, amorphous polyamide, polyvinyl chlorides (PVC), polyvinylidene chloride, polyurethane, or any other suitable amorphous thermoplastic material.
- exemplary semi-crystalline thermoplastic materials may generally include, but are not limited to polyolefins, polyamides, fluropolymer, ethyl-methyl acrylate, polyesters, polycarbonates, and/or acetals.
- exemplary semi-crystalline thermoplastic materials may include polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene, polyphenyl sulfide, polyethylene, polyamide (nylon), polyetherketone, or any other suitable semi-crystalline thermoplastic material.
- PBT polybutylene terephthalate
- PET polyethylene terephthalate
- Ppropylene polypropylene
- polyphenyl sulfide polyethylene
- polyamide nylon
- polyetherketone polyetherketone
- thermoset material as described herein generally encompasses a plastic material or polymer that is non-reversible in nature.
- thermoset materials once cured, cannot be easily remolded or returned to a liquid state.
- thermoset materials after initial forming, are generally resistant to heat, corrosion, and/or creep.
- Example thermoset materials may generally include, but are not limited to, some polyesters, esters, epoxies, or any other suitable thermoset material.
- the design characteristic(s) of the first pultruded member(s) 46 may include a curved surface 48, one or more tapered side edges 58, or a reduced width W.
- the spar cap 22 includes a single first pultruded member 46 having a first side with a curved surface 48, whereas an opposing surface 50 of the pultruded member 46 may be flat.
- the spar cap 22 may include a plurality of first pultruded members 46 stacked against each other.
- one or more lower first pultruded members 54 may have a curved surface 48
- one or more upper first pultruded members 56 may have tapered side edges 58.
- the spar cap 22 includes one lower first pultruded member 54 and two additional upper first pultruded members 56 with tapered side edges 58 stacked atop the lower first pultruded member 54.
- the curved surface 48 and the tapered edges 58 are configured to sit flush with the component mold during manufacturing, which is discussed in more detail herein.
- the spar cap 22 may include any number of upper and/or lower first pultruded members so as to achieve a desired thickness of the component.
- the spar cap 22 may include a plurality of second pultruded members 52 arranged or stacked against the flat surface 50 of the first pultruded member(s) 46.
- the spar cap 22 may further include a plurality of first pultruded members 46 having a reduced width W arranged in a side- by-side configuration.
- a reduced width W generally refers to a width that is less than an overall width of the spar cap 22 (or any other rotor blade component).
- the spar cap 22 may be able to better conform to the shape of the inner surface 63 of the component mold 60 during manufacturing of the part.
- the spar cap 22 may also include a plurality of the second pultruded members 52 arranged or stacked against the first pultruded member(s) 46 in a side-by-side configuration.
- the spar cap 22 may also include a plurality of the second pultruded members 52 arranged or stacked against the first pultruded member(s) 46 in a side-by-side configuration.
- two stacks of the flat second pultruded members 52 form the spar cap 22 so as to better conform to the shape of the inner surface 63 of the component mold 60 during the manufacturing process.
- the method 100 includes placing at least one first pultruded member 46 into a curved rotor blade component mold 60 (FIG. 8). More specifically, as mentioned, the first pultruded member 46 includes at least one design characteristic configured to allow the first pultruded member 46 to sit substantially flush against an inner surface 63 of the curved rotor blade component mold 60.
- the design characteristic(s) of the first pultruded member(s) 46 may include a curved surface, one or more tapered side edges 58, or a reduced width W.
- a first side of the first pultruded member(s) 46 may include the curved surface 48, whereas an opposing surface 50 of the pultruded member 46 may be flat.
- the method 100 may include placing a plurality of first pultruded members 46 having a reduced width W in a side-by-side configuration (FIG. 7).
- the method 100 may include placing a plurality of first pultruded members 46 atop one another.
- a lower first pultruded member 54 may have a curved surface 48
- one or more upper first pultruded members 56 may have tapered side edges 58.
- the method 100 also includes placing at least one flat, second pultruded member 52 atop the first pultruded member(s) 46.
- the method 100 may include placing a plurality of the flat second pultruded members 52 atop the flat surface 50 of the first pultruded member(s) 46. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the method 100 may include placing the plurality of flat second pultruded members 52 atop the first pultruded member(s) 52 in a side-by-side configuration.
- the method 100 includes infusing the first and second pultruded members 46, 52 together to form the rotor blade component, as shown at 106 of FIG. 9. More specifically, as mentioned, the first and second pultruded members 46, 52 may be infused together via vacuum infusion using any suitable resin material 44. For example, as shown in FIG.
- a vacuum bag 64 can be secured atop the mold 60 and vacuum pressure can be used to drive the resin material 44 into the mold 60 via a resin feed line 65 to form the spar cap 22.
- the method 100 may also include placing one or more fiber or pre-preg materials 62 in the curved rotor blade component mold 60 prior to placing the first pultruded member(s) 46 therein, e.g. so as to account for deviations in the curvature of the mold.
- the fiber material 62 may include glass fibers, carbon fibers, polymer fibers, ceramic fibers, nanofibers, metal fibers, or similar.
- the pre-preg materials may include carbon or glass fibers pre-impregnated with epoxy, vylnester, polyester, or other suitable thermoset or thermoplastic resin.
- the method 200 includes placing a plurality of wet rovings onto an inner surface of a curved rotor blade component mold. As shown at 204, the method 200 includes vibrating the wet rovings until the rovings sit substantially flush against the inner surface of the curved rotor blade component mold. More specifically, in certain embodiments, the wet rovings may be vibrated using a caul plate or a pultruded member. In addition, one or more flat pultruded members 40 may be put on top of the wet rovings, similar to the caul plate.
- the method 200 includes placing at least one pultruded member atop the plurality of wet rovings. As shown at 208, the method 200 includes infusing the plurality of wet rovings and the pultruded members together to form the rotor blade component.
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Abstract
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PCT/US2018/030830 WO2019212554A1 (fr) | 2018-05-03 | 2018-05-03 | Procédés de fabrication de composants de pale de rotor pour une éolienne |
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EP3787882A1 true EP3787882A1 (fr) | 2021-03-10 |
EP3787882A4 EP3787882A4 (fr) | 2022-02-09 |
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EP18917145.7A Pending EP3787882A4 (fr) | 2018-05-03 | 2018-05-03 | Procédés de fabrication de composants de pale de rotor pour une éolienne |
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EP (1) | EP3787882A4 (fr) |
CN (1) | CN112292256A (fr) |
WO (1) | WO2019212554A1 (fr) |
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BR112022004057A2 (pt) * | 2019-09-13 | 2022-05-31 | Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Innovation & Technology SL | Pá de turbina eólica |
CN113074089B (zh) * | 2021-03-19 | 2022-05-03 | 三一重能股份有限公司 | 叶片主梁层结构、叶片、风电机组以及主梁成型工艺 |
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EP2283996A1 (fr) * | 2009-08-13 | 2011-02-16 | Siemens Aktiengesellschaft | Procédé et agencement pour produire une pale d'éolienne |
DE102012219226A1 (de) * | 2012-10-22 | 2014-04-24 | Repower Systems Se | Vorrichtung und Verfahren zur Herstellung eines Rotorblattgurts |
US20140271217A1 (en) * | 2013-03-15 | 2014-09-18 | Modular Wind Energy, Inc. | Efficient wind turbine blade design and associated manufacturing methods using rectangular spars and segmented shear web |
US10179425B2 (en) * | 2013-04-08 | 2019-01-15 | Vestas Wind Systems A/S | Fibre preform for laying on a curved surface of a mould |
GB2520083A (en) * | 2013-11-11 | 2015-05-13 | Vestas Wind Sys As | Wind turbine blades |
GB201320166D0 (en) * | 2013-11-15 | 2014-01-01 | Vestas Wind Sys As | Wind turbine components |
US20160146185A1 (en) * | 2014-11-25 | 2016-05-26 | General Electric Company | Methods for manufacturing a spar cap for a wind turbine rotor blade |
US20160160837A1 (en) * | 2014-12-04 | 2016-06-09 | General Electric Company | Pultruded rotor blade components having interlocking edges |
US10077758B2 (en) * | 2015-06-30 | 2018-09-18 | General Electric Company | Corrugated pre-cured laminate plates for use within wind turbine rotor blades |
US10060411B2 (en) * | 2015-07-22 | 2018-08-28 | General Electric Company | Rotor blade root assembly for a wind turbine |
US9951750B2 (en) | 2015-07-30 | 2018-04-24 | General Electric Company | Rotor blade with interior shelf for a flat plate spar cap |
US10422316B2 (en) * | 2016-08-30 | 2019-09-24 | General Electric Company | Pre-cured rotor blade components having areas of variable stiffness |
US10987879B2 (en) * | 2017-03-02 | 2021-04-27 | General Electric Company | Methods of manufacturing rotor blade components for a wind turbine |
-
2018
- 2018-05-03 EP EP18917145.7A patent/EP3787882A4/fr active Pending
- 2018-05-03 CN CN201880095188.9A patent/CN112292256A/zh active Pending
- 2018-05-03 WO PCT/US2018/030830 patent/WO2019212554A1/fr active Application Filing
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EP3787882A4 (fr) | 2022-02-09 |
CN112292256A (zh) | 2021-01-29 |
WO2019212554A1 (fr) | 2019-11-07 |
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