WIND TURBINE BLADE AND A METHOD OF ASSEMBLING A WIND TURBINEBLADE AND A SPAR CAP CONNECTION PIECE
First Claim
1. A wind turbine blade comprising:
- a first adjacent blade and a second adjacent blade section arranged end to end along the length of the blade, each adjacent blade section comprising an aerodynamic fairing and a spar extending along the length of the section;
each spar comprising a shear web extending across the fairing and a pair of spar caps, one at either end of the shear web; and
wherein each spar cap in the first section has a different cross-sectional shape and/or material from the respective spar cap in the second section and wherein the spar cap in the first section is joined to the respective spar cap in the second section via a connection piece;
each connection piece being a pre-cured component extending along the length of the blade from a first inclined end configured to connect to a first complimentary inclined end of a spar cap of the first blade section and a second inclined end configured to connect to a second complimentary inclined end of a spar cap of the second blade section;
wherein the cross-sectional shape and/or material varies along the length of the connection piece so as to be compatible at either end with the adjacent spar cap.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A wind turbine blade comprising first and second adjacent blade sections arranged end to end along the length of the blade. Each section comprises an aerodynamic fairing and a spar. Each spar comprises a shear web extending across the fairing and a pair of spar caps, one at either end of the shear web. Each spar cap in the first section has a different cross-sectional shape and/or material from the respective spar cap in the second section and wherein the spar cap in the first section is joined to the respective spar cap in the second section via a connection piece. Each connection piece is a pre-cured component extending along the length of the blade from a first inclined end configured to connect to a first complimentary inclined end of a spar cap of the first blade section and a second inclined end.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A wind turbine blade comprising:
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a first adjacent blade and a second adjacent blade section arranged end to end along the length of the blade, each adjacent blade section comprising an aerodynamic fairing and a spar extending along the length of the section;
each spar comprising a shear web extending across the fairing and a pair of spar caps, one at either end of the shear web; andwherein each spar cap in the first section has a different cross-sectional shape and/or material from the respective spar cap in the second section and wherein the spar cap in the first section is joined to the respective spar cap in the second section via a connection piece;
each connection piece being a pre-cured component extending along the length of the blade from a first inclined end configured to connect to a first complimentary inclined end of a spar cap of the first blade section and a second inclined end configured to connect to a second complimentary inclined end of a spar cap of the second blade section;wherein the cross-sectional shape and/or material varies along the length of the connection piece so as to be compatible at either end with the adjacent spar cap. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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7. A spar cap connection piece comprising a pre-cured composite component comprising uniaxial fibre running along the length of the component from a first end to a second end in a longitudinal direction corresponding, in use, to the longitudinal direction of the spar to which it is fixed, the first and second ends being inclined in the same sense to the longitudinal direction each at a respective acute angle;
- the connection piece having a transition region in which the cross-sectional shape and/or the material of the connection piece transitions from one form to another along the transition region so that, in use, it is able to connect two spar caps having a different cross-sectional shape and/or material.
- View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 15)
Specification