WIND TURBINE BLADE WITH SECTIONS THAT ARE JOINED TOGETHER

• US 20160341177A1
• Filed: 07/07/2014
• Published: 11/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
• Original Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
• Inventors: Hibbard, Pau, Bech, Anton
• Application Number:
  US14/903,874
• Publication Number:
  US 20160341177A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 1/065 characterised by their construction elements F03D13/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 1/0675 of the blades
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2220/30 in turbines
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2230/20 essentially without removing material
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/302 Segmented or sectional blades
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2260/30 Retaining components in desired mutual position
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2280/6003 Composites; e.g. fibre-reinforced
• 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

Abstract

A wind turbine blade comprising at least two wind turbine blade sections connected in a blade connection joint, where each blade section at their connection end comprises a number of corresponding dentations arranged to interconnect across the blade connection joint. One of the blade sections comprises a spar cap structure and a connecting part with a first end joined to the spar cap structure and an opposite second end positioned at the blade section connection end and comprising a number of the dentations. The connecting part further comprises a number of sheets which are interleaved with the fibre-reinforced layers of the spar cap structure in an overlapping zone thereby joining the spar cap structure and the connecting part. The invention further relates to a method for preparing a wind turbine blade section as mentioned above. The invention also relates to a method of preparing a sheet for a connecting part with a number of dentations at one end, which method involves cutting and rolling a number of unidirectional prepreg sheets to form fingers, placing in an open mould the fingers next to each other and partially apart such as to form the dentations, closing the mould, and fully or partially curing the sheet.

Claims

1. A wind turbine blade comprising at least two wind turbine blade sections connected in a blade connection joint, each blade section at their connection end comprising a number of corresponding or partly corresponding dentations arranged to interconnect across the blade connection joint upon connection of the blade sections, wherein at least one of the blade sections comprises:

a spar cap structure of a number of fiber-reinforced layers,

and a connecting part, the connecting part having a first end joined to the spar cap structure and an opposite second end positioned at the blade section connection end and comprising a number of said dentations,

the connecting part further comprising a number of sheets which are interleaved with the fibre-reinforced layers of the spar cap structure in an overlapping zone thereby joining the spar cap structure and the connecting part.

2. A wind turbine blade according to claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional dimension of the connecting part is larger at the second end than at the first end.

3. A wind turbine blade according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a thickness or a width of the connecting part increases in a direction from its first end towards its second end.

4. A wind turbine blade according to claim 1, where the sheets of the connecting part are pre-manufactured.

5. A wind turbine blade according to claim 1, where the fiber-reinforced layers of the spar cap structure are pultruded.

6. A wind turbine blade according to claim 1, wherein the fibre-reinforced layers of the spar cap structure end in the overlapping zone at substantially the same lengthwise position.

7. A wind turbine blade according to claim 1, wherein the sheets of the connecting part are chamfered in the overlapping zone.

8. A wind turbine blade according to claim 1, wherein the fibre-reinforced layers of the spar cap structure are chamfered in the overlapping zone.

9. A method of preparing a wind turbine blade section with a connection end prepared for connection to another wind turbine blade section in a blade connection joint and comprising at its connection end a number of dentations arranged to interconnect across the blade connection joint to corresponding or partly corresponding dentations of another blade section, the method comprising:

preparing a connecting part with a first end and an opposite second end, the second end forming a number of said dentations, the connecting part comprises a number of sheets,

placing layers of fibre-reinforced material in a mould to form a spar cap structure of the blade section,

placing the connecting part in the mould such as to form a part of the connection end of the blade section, and

joining the first end of the connecting part to the spar cap structure by interleaving the sheets of the connecting part with the fibre-reinforced layers of the spar cap structure in an overlapping zone upon placing in the mould.

10. A method of preparing a wind turbine blade section according to claim 9, further comprising chamfering the ends of the fibre-reinforced layers and/or the ends of the sheets in the overlapping zone.

11. A method of preparing a wind turbine blade section according to claim 9, wherein the connecting part and the spar cap structure are joined by means of an adhesive.

12. A method of preparing a wind turbine blade section according to claim 9, wherein the preparing of the sheets of the connecting part comprises lay-up of pre-impregnated fibre-reinforcement material in an open mould, closing the mould, and full or partial curing of the sheets.

13. A method of preparing a wind turbine blade section according to claim 12, further comprising cutting and rolling a number of unidirectional prepreg sheets to form fingers and wherein the lay-up comprises placing a number of fingers next to each other in the mould.

14. A method of preparing a wind turbine blade section according to claim 9, wherein the layers of the spar cap structure are pultruded.

15. A method of preparing a sheet for a connecting part having a first end and an opposite second end comprising a number of dentations, the method comprising cutting and rolling a number of unidirectional prepreg sheets to form fingers, placing in an open mould the fingers next to each other and partially apart such as to form the dentations, closing the mould, and fully or partially curing the sheet.

16. A method of preparing a sheet for a connecting part according to claim 15, wherein the prepreg sheets are cut at an angle to the fibers and rolled around an axis substantially parallel to the fibers.