Wind turbine blade and method of fabricating a wind turbine blade

• US 9,394,881 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2013
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Obrecht, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kershteyn, Igor
• Assistant Examiner(s): Legendre, Christopher R
• Application Number:
  US13/904,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20140356182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 53/78 propeller blades; turbine blades
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 15/02 turbine or like blades from one piece
• 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 70/342 using isostatic pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 99/0028 hollow blades
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/085 Wind turbine blades
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/18 Hollow blades, i.e. blades with cooling or heating channels or cavities structure of hollow blades in general F01D5/147; Heating, heat-insulating or cooling means on blades
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 1/0675 of the blades
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/302 Segmented or sectional blades
• 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 29/49337 Composite blade
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49339 Hollow blade

Abstract

A wind turbine blade (162) and a method of forming a wind turbine blade. The method includes: forming an inner segment (10) of an airfoil, leaving a portion (16) of an inner weave (12) extending from the inner segment; forming an outer segment (18) of the airfoil, leaving a portion (24) of an outer weave (20) extending from the outer segment; overlapping the extending portion of the inner weave with the extending portion of the outer weave; infusing the overlapped extending portions with additional resin; and curing the additional resin to form a monolithic airfoil (160).

Claims

1. A method of forming a wind turbine blade, the method comprising:

forming an inner segment of an airfoil, leaving a portion of an inner skin weave and a portion of an inner spar cap weave extending from the inner segment;

forming an outer segment of the airfoil, leaving a portion of an outer skin weave and a portion of an outer spar cap weave extending from the outer segment;

overlapping the extending portion of the inner skin weave with the extending portion of the outer skin weave;

overlapping the extending portion of the inner spar cap weave with the extending portion of the outer spar cap weave;

infusing the overlapped extending portions of the skin weaves and the spar cap weaves with resin in a single operation; and

curing the resin to form a monolithic airfoil.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising interleaving layers of the inner skin weave with layers of the outer skin weave.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming a joint between an inner segment web member and an outer segment web member so ends of the inner segment web member and the outer segment web member are staggered from ends of the inner segment and ends of the outer segment along a radial axis of the monolithic airfoil.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the extending portion of the outer skin weave extends from a first end of the outer segment, and an additional portion of the outer skin weave extends from a second end of the outer segment, the method further comprising:

forming a third segment of the airfoil, leaving a portion of a third skin weave extending from the third segment;

overlapping the extending portion of the third skin weave with the extending additional portion of the outer skin weave; and

infusing the overlapped extending portion of the third skin weave and extending additional portion of the outer skin weave with resin.

5. A method of forming a wind turbine blade, the method comprising:

forming an airfoil inner segment comprising cured inner segment resin infused around an inner skin weave and around an inner web weave, wherein an un-infused portion of the inner skin weave and an un-infused portion of the inner web weave extend from the cured inner segment resin;

forming an airfoil outer segment comprising cured outer segment resin infused around an outer skin weave and around an outer web weave, wherein an un-infused portion of the outer skin weave and an un-infused portion of the outer web weave extend from the cured outer segment resin;

overlapping the un-infused portion of the inner skin weave and the un-infused portion of the outer skin weave with each other;

overlapping the un-infused portion of the inner web weave and the un-infused portion of the outer web weave with each other;

infusing the overlapped un-infused portions of the inner skin weave and outer skin weave and the un-infused portions of the inner web weave and the outer web weave with additional resin in a single operation to form a joint segment; and

curing the additional resin.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising abutting ends of the inner web weave and the outer web weave at a location staggered from ends of the cured inner segment resin and the cured outer segment resin with respect to a radial axis of the wind turbine blade.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

disposing a joint web member between the inner web weave and the outer web weave; and

abutting ends of the inner web weave and the outer web weave with respective ends of the joint web member at locations staggered from ends of the cured inner segment resin and the cured outer segment resin with respect to a radial axis of the wind turbine blade.

8. A wind turbine blade formed by the method of claim 5.

9. A wind turbine blade, comprising:

an airfoil inner segment comprising an inner skin weave and an inner spar cap weave infused in an inner segment resin;

an airfoil outer segment comprising an outer skin weave and an outer spar cap weave infused in an outer segment resin; and

an airfoil joint segment securing the inner segment to the outer segment, wherein the inner skin weave and the inner spar cap weave extend into the joint segment and terminate before reaching the outer segment, and wherein the outer skin weave and the outer spar cap weave extend into the joint segment and terminate before reaching the inner segment, and the inner and outer skin weaves and the inner and outer spar cap weaves are infused with a joint segment resin cured in an operation that is different from an operation where the inner and outer segment resins were cured;

wherein an increased thickness of a skin of the blade in the joint segment with respect to a thickness of the inner segment or a thickness of the outer segment manifests only into an interior of the blade.

10. The wind turbine blade of claim 9, wherein the joint segment further comprises a joint segment skin, and wherein the inner skin weave overlaps the outer skin weave in the joint segment skin.

11. The wind turbine blade of claim 9, wherein the joint segment further comprises a joint segment spar cap, and wherein the inner spar cap weave overlaps the outer spar cap weave in the joint segment spar cap.

12. The wind turbine blade of claim 9, wherein a plurality of layers of the inner skin weave are interleaved with a plurality of layers of the outer skin weave.

13. The wind turbine blade of claim 12, further comprising stitching through the interleaved layers or strips disposed between the interleaved layers effective to increase a pull strength of the interleaved layers.

14. The wind turbine blade of claim 13, wherein ends of the plurality of layers of at least one of the inner skin weave and the outer skin weave are staggered with respect to each other from a base to a tip of the blade.

15. The wind turbine blade of claim 9, wherein the inner segment further comprises a inner segment web member, wherein the outer segment further comprises a outer segment web member, and wherein abutting ends of the inner segment web member and the outer segment web member abut at a location staggered from ends of the inner segment and ends of the outer segment.

16. The wind turbine blade of claim 9, wherein the inner segment further comprises a inner segment web member, wherein the outer segment further comprises a outer segment web member, and wherein the joint segment further comprises a joint web member between the inner segment web member and the outer segment web member.

17. The wind turbine blade of claim 16, wherein the inner segment web member and the joint web member abut inside the inner segment, and wherein the outer segment web member and the joint web member abut inside the outer segment.

18. A wind turbine blade, comprising:

an airfoil inner segment comprising an inner skin weave and an inner spar cap weave infused in an inner segment resin;

an airfoil outer segment comprising an outer skin weave and an outer spar cap weave infused in an outer segment resin; and

an airfoil joint segment securing the inner segment to the outer segment, wherein the inner skin weave and the inner spar cap weave extend into the joint segment and terminate before reaching the outer segment, and wherein the outer skin weave and the outer spar cap weave extend into the joint segment and terminate before reaching the inner segment, and the inner and outer skin weaves and the inner and outer spar cap weaves are infused with a joint segment resin cured in an operation that is different from an operation where the inner and outer segment resins were cured;

wherein at least one of the inner segment resin and the outer segment resin comprises a tapered end from which a respective weave extends, wherein the tapered end forms a gap between the inner segment resin and the outer segment resin that is larger toward an interior of the blade.

19. A wind turbine blade, comprising:

an airfoil inner segment comprising an inner skin weave and an inner spar cap weave infused in an inner segment resin;

an airfoil outer segment comprising an outer skin weave and an outer spar cap weave infused in an outer segment resin; and

an airfoil joint segment securing the inner segment to the outer segment, wherein the inner skin weave and the inner spar cap weave extend into the joint segment and terminate before reaching the outer segment, and wherein the outer skin weave and the outer spar cap weave extend into the joint segment and terminate before reaching the inner segment, and the inner and outer skin weaves and the inner and outer spar cap weaves are infused with a joint segment resin cured in an operation that is different from an operation where the inner and outer segment resins were cured;

wherein the joint segment further comprises strips disposed in the airfoil joint segment around which at least one weave bends.