SANDWICH LAMINATE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD

• US 20130164133A1
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Published: 06/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A/S (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Erik Grove-Nielsen
• Inventors: GROVE-NIELSEN, ERIK
• Granted Patent: US 9,421,742 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 416/95
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/885 with incorporated metallic wires, nets, films or plates as lost heating elements B29C35/0272, B29C61/0625
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 99/0028 hollow blades
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/085 Wind turbine blades
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/00 Layered products comprising a layer of synthetic resin fibrous or filamentary layer made of a synthetic resin B32B5/02; particulate layer made of a synthetic resin B32B5/16; foamed layer made of a synthetic resin B32B5/18
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/08 the fibres or filaments of a layer being of different substances , e.g. conjugate fibres, mixture of different fibres
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 1/0675 of the blades
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 3/062 characterised by their construction elements
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 80/40 Ice detection; De-icing means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/18 the conductor being embedded in an insulating material
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/74 Wind turbines with rotation axis perpendicular to the wind direction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A sandwich laminate for wind turbine blades includes a sandwich core material and an upper laminate part and a lower laminate part, wherein the upper laminate part and the lower laminate part have a thermoplastic matrix material and heating elements. The heating elements are electrically conductive fibres constituting electric circuits in the interior part of the thermoplastic matrix. Further, a wind turbine blade including such a sandwich laminate as well as a method of manufacturing such a sandwich laminate are provided.

Claims

1. A sandwich laminate, comprising:

a sandwich core material,

an upper laminate part and a lower laminate part,

wherein the upper laminate part and the lower laminate part comprise a thermoplastic matrix material and heating elements,

wherein the heating elements are electrically conductive fibres constituting electric circuits in an interior part of the thermoplastic matrix material.

2. The sandwich laminate according to claim 1, wherein the sandwich core material comprises a foamed polymer and/or a honeycomb structure and/or a wood structure.

3. The sandwich laminate according to claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive fibres comprise carbon fibres and/or metal fibres and/or glass or plastic fibres covered with an electrically conductive layer.

4. The sandwich laminate according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic matrix material comprises a reinforcing material.

5. The sandwich laminate according to claim 1, wherein the sandwich core material comprises a plurality of electrically conductive passages protruding into the upper and the lower laminate parts.

6. A wind turbine blade, comprising:

a sandwich laminate according to claim 1.

7. The wind turbine blade according to claim 6, further comprising:

an upper part blade shell and a lower part blade shell, optionally connected by a web, wherein the upper part blade shell and/or the lower part blade shell are part of the sandwich laminate.

8. The wind turbine blade according to claim 6, wherein the electrically conductive fibres are arranged in the thermoplastic matrix material of the sandwich laminate in a substantially longitudinal direction from a blade root to a tip of the blade in a substantially linear direction.

9. The wind turbine blade according to claim 6, wherein a number of the electric circuits are constituted by electrically conductive fibres running from the blade root to the tip of the blade in the upper part blade shell and backwards from the tip to the root in the lower part blade shell.

10. The wind turbine blade according to claim 6, wherein a number of the electric circuits are constituted by electrically conductive fibres running from the blade root to the tip of the blade in the upper portion or lower portion of an upper or lower part blade shell and backwards from the tip to the root in a space between the upper and the lower part blade shells.

11. A method of manufacturing a sandwich laminate, comprising:

providing a sandwich core material,

arranging a mixture of a thermoplastic matrix material and a number of electrically conductive fibres as an upper laminate part and/or a lower laminate part for an upper side or lower side of the sandwich core material, and

supplying current to the number of electrically conductive fibres for heating the electrically conductive fibres to a temperature above the melting point of the thermoplastic matrix material.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the mixture comprises a number of thermoplastic fibres and/or thermoplastic fabrics for arranging together with the number of electrically conductive fibres.

13. The method according claim 11, further comprising:

arranging a mixture of the thermoplastic matrix material and the number of electrically conductive fibres together with a number of inductive heating elements.