ROTOR BLADE WITH A SEGMENTED SUPPORTING STRUCTURE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE ROTOR BLADE

• US 20150010406A1
• Filed: 03/09/2014
• Published: 01/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A/S (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Torgard, Sigmund Wenningsted
• Granted Patent: US 9,879,541 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 416/230
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 15/04 turbine or like blades from several pieces
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/304 In-plane lamination by juxtaposing or interleaving of plies, e.g. scarf joining
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/48 and impregnating the reinforcements in the closed mould, e.g. resin transfer moulding [RTM] , e.g. by vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/08 Blades for rotors, stators, fans, turbines or the like, e.g. screw propellers
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/147 Construction, i.e. structural features, e.g. of weight-saving hollow blades F01D5/148, F01D5/16 and F01D5/20 take precedence; blade shape F01D5/141; blades with cooling or heating channels or cavities F01D5/18; heating, heat-insulating or cooling means on blades F01D5/18
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 1/0675 of the blades
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2280/6003 Composites; e.g. fibre-reinforced
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2280/6013 Fibres
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49336 Blade making

Abstract

A rotor blade with a supporting structure, wherein the rotor blade has a rotor blade base section and a rotor blade tip section, is provided. The supporting structure includes a first supporting segment for supporting the rotor blade base section and at least a second supporting segment for supporting the rotor blade tip section. Furthermore, the supporting structure includes the first supporting segment and the second supporting segment along the rotor blade longitudinal direction. The first supporting segment is joined to the second supporting segment in a supporting structure transition section, wherein the supporting structure transition section is located in between the rotor blade base section and the rotor blade tip section. Finally, the first supporting segment and/or the second supporting segment include a fibre material. A method for manufacturing the rotor blade is also provided.

Claims

1. A rotor blade with a supporting structure, wherein

the rotor blade comprises a rotor blade base section and a rotor blade tip section;

the rotor blade comprises a rotor blade longitudinal direction, wherein the rotor blade longitudinal direction extends from the rotor blade base section to the rotor blade tip section;

the supporting structure comprises a first supporting segment for supporting the rotor blade base section and at least a second supporting segment for supporting the rotor blade tip section;

the supporting structure comprises the first supporting segment and the second supporting segment along the rotor blade longitudinal direction;

the first supporting segment is joined to the second supporting segment in a supporting structure transition section, wherein the supporting structure transition section is located in between the rotor blade base section and the rotor blade tip section; and

the first supporting segment and/or the second supporting segment comprises a fibre material.

2. The rotor blade according to claim 1,

wherein the first supporting segment comprises at least a first layer of fibre material and the second supporting segment comprises at least a second layer of fibre material.

3. The rotor blade according to claim 1,

wherein the fibre material comprises a fabric with fibres.

4. The rotor blade according to claim 1,

wherein the fibre material comprises a composite material.

5. The rotor blade according to claim 2,

wherein the first layer and/or the second layer comprises a planar shape.

6. The rotor blade according to claim 2, wherein

the first layer comprises at least a first layer longitudinal surface section and at least a first layer transversal surface section, wherein the first layer longitudinal surface section is greater than the first layer transversal surface section;

the second layer comprises at least a second layer longitudinal surface section and at least a second layer transversal surface section, wherein the second layer longitudinal surface section is greater than the second layer transversal surface section; and

the first layer transversal surface section is directly joined to the second layer transversal surface section in the supporting structure transition section.

7. The rotor blade according to claim 2,

wherein the first layer and the second layer at least partly overlay in the supporting structure transition section.

8. The rotor blade according to claim 2, wherein

the first supporting segment comprises a stack of additional layers for additionally supporting the first supporting segment,

the second supporting segment comprises a further stack of further additional layers for additionally supporting the second supporting segment,

the first layer and the stack of additional layers at least partly overlay,

the second layer and the further stack of further additional layers at least partly overlay, and

the stack of additional layers is joined to the further stack of further additional layers in the supporting structure transition section.

9. The rotor blade according to claim 2,

wherein the first supporting segment and/or the second supporting element substantially comprises a shape of a cuboid.

10. The rotor blade according to claim 1,

wherein a longitudinal direction of the first supporting segment and a longitudinal direction of the second supporting segment form an angle which is smaller than 175 degrees.

11. The rotor blade according to claim 1, wherein

the first supporting segment comprises a supplementary first supporting segment for additionally supporting the rotor blade,

the second supporting segment comprises a supplementary second supporting segment for additionally supporting the rotor blade, and

the first supporting segment is joined to the supplementary first supporting segment by a first connection component and/or the second supporting segment is joined to the supplementary second supporting segment by a second connection component.

12. The rotor blade according to claim 1,

wherein the rotor blade is a part of a wind turbine engine.

13. A method for manufacturing a rotor blade according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises

joining the first supporting segment and the second supporting segment.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the method comprises

a) arranging the first layer and the second layer in a mould;

b) applying a filling material into the mould and thus obtaining a composite comprised by the supporting structure and the filling material; and

c) curing the composite.

15. The rotor blade according to claim 1,

wherein the fibre material comprises a fabric with unidirectional fibres.

16. The rotor blade according to claim 1,

wherein the fibre material comprises a sheet with pre-impregnated composite material.

17. The rotor blade according to claim 1,

wherein a longitudinal direction of the first supporting segment and a longitudinal direction of the second supporting segment form an angle which is smaller than 170 degrees.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein the filling material is a liquid filling material.