UV-IR combination curing system and method of use for wind blade manufacture and repair

• US 9,970,411 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2013
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Fang, Xiaomei, Miebach, Thomas, Simon, David, Seeger, Jordan Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): Orlando, Michael N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bradford, Elizabeth
• Application Number:
  US13/770,092
• Publication Number:
  US 20130240118A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,911 Days
• Field of Search: 1562755
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2035/0822 using IR radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2035/0827 using UV radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 35/0805 using electromagnetic radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/28 Shaping operations therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 73/34 for local heating
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/08 Blades for rotors, stators, fans, turbines or the like, e.g. screw propellers
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 1/0675 of the blades
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

A UV-IR combination curing system and method for manufacture and repair of composite parts, such as for use in wind blade manufacture and repair. The system and method utilize UV and IR dual radiation sources to cure glass fiber reinforced laminates containing a photo initiator. The UV and IR dual radiation sources can be configured as discrete stand-alone UV and IR lamps used in a side by side configuration, a plurality of UV lamps with thermal IR radiation, a combined UV/IR lamp, or other forms of light sources providing both UV and IR radiation. To achieve high glass transition and complete curing of thick laminates, the IR radiation source is initially turned on to heat the laminate to close to 40° C.-100° C. before the UV radiation source is turned on. The IR radiation source can be turned off after UV radiation source is activated.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing an uncured wind turbine blade consisting of a plurality of layers of a reinforced resin consisting of a resin having a reactive group, a reinforcing structure and a photoinitiator throughout a thickness of the plurality of layers of the uncured wind turbine blade, wherein the reinforcing structure consists of fiber particles comprising glass, silica, fumed silica, alumina, zirconium oxide, nanoparticles, or a combination thereof;

providing a first radiation source to heat the plurality of layers of the uncured wind turbine blade throughout a thickness of the plurality of layers of the uncured wind turbine blade;

heating the plurality of layers of the uncured wind turbine blade throughout the thickness of the plurality of layers by applying a first radiation from the first radiation source, thereby forming a plurality of pre-heated layers the uncured wind turbine blade;

providing a second radiation source to cure the plurality of pre-heated layers of the uncured wind turbine blade through a thickness of the uncured wind turbine blade; and

curing the plurality of pre-heated layers of the uncured wind turbine blade through the thickness of the uncured wind turbine blade to provide a cured wind turbine blade by applying a second radiation from the second radiation source, thereby forming a covalent bond across an interface of a first layer of the plurality of pre-heated layers and an adjacent successive layer of the plurality of pre-heated layers and a plurality of additional covalent bonds across additional interfaces of the plurality of pre-heated layers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a first radiation source comprises providing an infrared radiation source.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein providing a first radiation source comprises providing a radiation source emitting radiation having a wavelength in the range of 700 nm to 1 μ

m.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein providing a second radiation source comprises providing an ultraviolet frequency radiation source.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein providing a second radiation source comprises providing a radiation source emitting radiation having a wavelength in the range of 100 nm to 400 nm.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein providing a first radiation source and providing a second radiation source comprises providing a combined radiation source.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein providing a first radiation source and providing a second radiation source comprises providing a plurality of discrete stand-alone radiation sources.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein providing a first radiation source comprised providing a radiation source configured to heat the plurality of layers of the composite structure to a temperature in a range of 40-100°

C.

9. A method of repairing a composite structure, comprising:

providing an uncured wind turbine blade consisting of a first layer of a reinforced resin consisting of a resin having a reactive group, a reinforcing structure and a photoinitiator, wherein the reinforcing structure consists of fiber particles comprising glass, silica, fumed silica, alumina, zirconium oxide, nanoparticles, or a combination thereof;

providing a plurality of successive layers of the uncured wind turbine blade consisting of the reinforced resin consisting of the resin having a reactive group, the reinforcing structure and the photoinitiator, the first layer and the plurality of successive layers configured in a stack, the uncured wind turbine blade consisting of the first layer and the plurality of successive layers;

providing a first radiation source configured to heat the first layer and the plurality of successive layers of the uncured wind turbine blade throughout a thickness of the plurality of layers of the uncured wind turbine blade;

applying a first radiation from the first radiation source to heat the first layer and the plurality of successive layers of the uncured wind turbine blade, forming a plurality of pre-heated layers of the uncured wind turbine blade;

providing a second radiation source configured to cure the plurality of pre-heated layers of the uncured wind turbine blade through a thickness of the plurality of pre-heated layers of the uncured wind turbine blade; and

applying a second radiation from the second radiation source to cure the plurality of pre-heated layers of the uncured wind turbine blade to provide a cured wind turbine blade, forming a covalent bond across an interface of the first layer and an adjacent successive layer and a plurality of additional covalent bonds across additional interfaces of the plurality of successive layers.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein providing a first radiation source comprises providing an infrared radiation source.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein providing a second radiation source comprises providing an ultraviolet frequency radiation source.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the reactive group comprises unsaturated polyesters, vinyl esters, melamines, urea-formaledehydes, phenolics, methacrylate, acrylates, epoxies, urethanes, or a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the photoinitiator comprises organic peroxides, azo compounds, quinones, benzophenones, nitroso compounds, acryl halides, hydrazones, mercapto compounds, pyrylium compounds, triacrylimidazoles, bisimidazoles, chloroalkyltriazines, benzoin ethers, benzil ketals, thioxanthones, acetophenones, acylphosphine oxides, or a combination thereof.

14. A method, comprising:

providing a first layer consisting of a reinforced resin consisting of a resin having a reactive group, a reinforcing structure and a photoinitiator, wherein the reinforcing structure consists of fiber particles comprising glass, silica, fumed silica, alumina, zirconium oxide, nanoparticles, or a combination thereof;

providing additional successive layers consisting of the reinforced resin consisting of the resin having a reactive group, the reinforcing structure and the photoinitiator;

applying a first radiation from a first radiation source to preheat the first layer and the additional successive layers throughout a thickness of the layers; and

applying a second radiation from a second radiation source to cure the preheated first layer and the plurality of additional successive layers simultaneously throughout a thickness of the layers, wherein a composite stand-alone blade of a wind turbine consists of the first layer and the additional successive layers.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein applying the second radiation from the second radiation source to cure the first layer and the successive additional layers comprises curing about 100% of the first layer and the successive additional layers throughout a thickness of the layers.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first radiation source comprises an infrared frequency radiation source emitting radiation having a wavelength in the range of 700 nm to 1 μ

m.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second radiation source comprises an ultraviolet frequency radiation source emitting radiation having a wavelength in the range of 100 nm to 400 nm.