WIND TURBINE ROTOR BLADE JOINED WITH EXTENDABLE BOLT BUSHINGS FOR BLADE STRINGS DESIGNED TO MINIMIZE BLADE STRING SEPARATION.

Abstract

A rotor blade comprises first and second blade segments extending in opposite directions from a chordal joint. The first blade segment includes a beam structure that connects to the second blade segment via a receiver section. A chordal gap exists between an edge of the beam structure and an edge of the receiver section. The beam structure defines a first bolt joint groove, while the receiver section defines a second bolt joint groove that aligns with the first bolt joint groove. The first and second bushings are arranged at the first ends of the first and second bolt joint grooves, each having a flange that extends into the chordal gap. The edges of the bushings rest against each other within the chordal gap to fill it with a predefined, defined gap or interference fit.In addition, a bolt extending in a rope-like fashion is placed through the bushings to secure the first and second blade segments together.

Description

The aforementioned invention relates in general to wind turbines, and particularly to an articulated wind rotor blade featuring rope-extending bolt bushings designed to eliminate rope-like gaps between the attached blade segments. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Wind energy is considered one of the cleanest and most environmentally friendly energy sources currently available, and for this reason, wind turbines have gained increased attention. A modern wind turbine typically includes a tower, a generator, a gearbox, a channel, and a rotor, which has a rotating housing with one or more rotor blades. The rotor blades capture the kinetic energy of the wind using well-known airfoil principles. The rotor blades transmit the kinetic energy as rotational energy to spin a shaft that connects the rotor blades to a gearbox, or directly to the generator if a gearbox is not used. The generator then converts the mechanical energy into electrical energy that can be fed into a utility grid. Rotor blades typically include a suction-side casing and a pressure-side casing formed using molding processes that join them together along seams along the leading and trailing edges of the blade. The pressure and suction casings are relatively lightweight and possess structural properties (e.g., stiffness, buckling resistance, and strength) that are not designed to withstand the bending moments and other loads exerted on the rotor blade during operation. Therefore, to increase the stiffness, buckling resistance, and strength of the rotor blade, the casing is typically reinforced using one or more structural components (e.g., opposing spars with a shear network configured between them) that are coupled to the internal pressure and suction-side surfaces of the casing halves.The stringer caps and / or the 10 shear band can be constructed from various materials, including, but not limited to, fiberglass laminated composites and / or carbon fiber laminated composites. As wind turbines continue to increase in size, rotor blades also increase in size. Therefore, larger rotor blades can be constructed in segments that can be assembled on-site through one or more bolted joints. The increased blade length requires additional blade support because gravity pulls along the increased length to create a greater bending moment than in shorter rotor blades. The bolted joints are configured to allow the blade tip to flex to support some of this load. Such bolted joints typically include a beam structure of a first blade segment received within a receiving section of a second blade segment, with a chord-shaped bolt extending through the 25 slots of the first and second bolted joints of the beam structure and the receiving section, respectively, joining the first and second segments. Frequently, there is a chord-shaped gap at the leading and trailing edges of such bolted joints between the beam structure and the receiving section, since the beam structure is often narrower than the receiving section. Minimizing this gap is beneficial to the performance of the bolt joint. For example, minimizing the gap provides a continuous load path, structural efficiency, and minimized translation in the chord direction, thus minimizing wear. Therefore, the present invention is directed to articulated rotor blades having wing chord-extending bolt bushings designed to eliminate wing chord gaps between the blade segments that are joined together. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the following description, or 15 may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through the practice of the invention. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a rotor blade for a wind turbine. The rotor blade includes a first blade segment and a second blade segment 20 extending in opposite directions from a rope-like joint. Each of the first and second blade segments includes at least one housing member that defines an airfoil surface and an internal support structure. The first blade segment includes a beam structure that extends along its length and is structurally connected to the second blade segment via a receiver section. The rotor blade also includes at least one chordal space between an edge of the beam structure and an edge of the receiver section. The beam structure defines a first bolt-on slot, while the receiver section defines a second bolt-on slot that aligns with the first bolt-on slot. The rotor blade further includes a first cap disposed at one end of the first bolt-on slot. The first cap includes a flange that extends into the chordal space and surrounds the end of the first bolt-on slot.The rotor blade also includes a second bushing disposed at the first end of the second bolt-on groove. The second bushing also includes a flange that extends into the chordal space and surrounds the first end of the second bolt-on groove. Furthermore, the flanges of the bushings support each other with the chordal space to fill the chordal space with a defined gap or interference fit. For example, the edges are configured to partially fill the space on the chord to define a precisely defined space or interference, or they can be designed to completely fill the space on the chord. Furthermore, the rotor blade includes at least one chord-length bolt positioned through the first and second caps of the first and second bolt joining slots to secure the first and second blade segments. In one embodiment, the rotor blade may include a pair of bushings arranged at the first end of the first bolt joint groove and a second, opposite opening of the first bolt joint groove, respectively, and a second pair of bushings arranged at the first end of the second bolt joint groove and a second, opposite opening of the second bolt joint groove. In such embodiments, the threaded bolt is placed through the first and second pairs of bushings in the first and second bolt joint grooves to secure the first and second blade segments together. In another configuration, the rope-shaped space is located adjacent to a trailing edge and / or an incoming edge of the rotor blade. In additional embodiments, the chord width of the bearing edges is greater than the chord width of the chord space to create an interference fit. For example, in such embodiments, the chord width of the adjacent edges is greater than the chord width of the chord space by approximately 1.5 millimeters (mm). In several embodiments, the first and second bushings may also include a lining material, for example, that has a coefficient of friction of less than approximately 0.2. In additional embodiments, the first and second cap are constructed of a metal or metal alloy. Therefore, in these embodiments, the metal or metal alloy may include a material tolerance of approximately W- 0.023 millimeters 15: {mm) in a space of 1000 mm. In another aspect, this disclosure relates to a method for assembling a rotor blade. The method includes forming a first blade segment and a second blade segment by a molding process. Each of the first and second blade segments has at least one housing member that defines an airfoil surface and an internal support structure. The first blade segment has a beam structure that extends lengthwise, while the second blade segment has a receiving section. The method also includes determining the size of at least one chord-shaped gap between an edge of the beam structure and an edge of the receiving section when the beam structure is received within the receiving section. Furthermore, the method includes providing a first pair of metal caps at opposite ends of a first bolt-joint groove of the beam structure. Each of the first pair of metal bushings has a flange. Furthermore, the method includes providing a second pair of metal bushings at opposite ends of a second bolt-joint groove of the receiving section, each of the second pair of metal bushings comprising a flange. Furthermore, the method includes positioning one of the flanges of the first pair of metal bushings with one of the flanges of the second pair of metal bushings such that the flanges abut each other within the thread space to fill the thread in opposite directions with a predetermined defined gap or interference. The method further includes positioning the first and second blade segments in opposite directions from a thread-like joint.The method also includes inserting the beam structure into the receiving section so that the first bolt connection slot of the beam structure aligns with the second bolt connection slot of the receiving section. Furthermore, the method includes inserting at least one piece that extends in a rope-like fashion through the first and second pairs of caps within the first and second bolt connection slots to secure the first and second blade segments together. In one embodiment, the method further includes determining the size of the chord-shaped space between the edge of the beam structure and the edge of the receiving section when the beam structure is received within the receiving section after the molding process is completed and the plurality of flanges of the plurality of metal caps are machined to eliminate an interference of the same that is greater than the chord space. In another embodiment, providing the first pair of metal bushings at opposite ends of the first bolt-joint groove and providing the second pair of metal bushings at opposite ends of the second bolt-joint groove of the receiving section may include placing the first and second pair of metal bushings in the first and second bolt-joint grooves, respectively, so that when the beam structure is inserted into the receiving section, the flanges of the first and second pair of metal bushings completely fill the string-like space. In another aspect of the invention, the invention relates to a rotor blade for a wind turbine. The rotor blade includes a first blade segment and a second blade segment extending in opposite directions from a chordal joint. Each of the first and second blade segments includes at least one housing member that defines an airfoil surface and an internal support structure. The first blade segment includes a beam structure extending its length and structurally connecting to the second blade segment by means of a receiving section. The rotor blade also includes at least a chordal gap between an edge of the beam structure and an edge of the receiving section. The beam structure defines a first bolt-joint groove, while the receiving section defines a second bolt-joint groove that aligns with the first bolt-joint groove.The rotor blade further includes a first bushing disposed at one end of the first bolt-on groove. The first bushing includes a flange that extends into the space in a threaded fashion and surrounds the first end of the first bolt-on groove. The rotor blade further includes a second bushing positioned at the first end of the second bolt-joint groove. The second bushing also has a flange extending into the space in a threaded fashion and surrounding the first end of the second bolt-joint groove. Furthermore, the rotor blade also includes at least one spacer component adjacent to one or more of the edges of the bushings within the threaded blade. Additionally, the rotor blade includes at least one threaded bolt positioned through the first and second bushings of the first and second bolt-joint grooves to secure the first and second blade segments. In one embodiment of the invention, the width of the chord at the adjacent edges is less than the width of the chord space. In another embodiment, the spacer component(s) may include one or more bolts. In such embodiments, the bolt(s) are configured to fill the remaining space not filled by the support flanges. As such, the bolts and flanges completely fill the chord space. In additional embodiments, the spacer component(s) may include one or more spring-loaded devices. In such embodiments, the spring-loaded devices may include a conical disc spring, a multi-layer wave disc spring, or a viscoelastic rubber ring. In one embodiment, where the spring-loaded device(s) correspond to the viscoelastic rubber ring, at least a portion of the viscoelastic rubber ring sits within a recess of at least one edge of the first and second shell. Furthermore, the elastic velocity of the viscoelastic rubber ring becomes nonlinear for a predetermined period of time, such that the viscoelastic rubber ring becomes rigid after the predetermined period of time. In additional configurations, the spacer components can be constructed from a metal or a metal alloy. As such, the metal or metal alloy generally has a tight material tolerance of approximately ±0.025 millimeters (mm) per 1000 mm. In certain configurations, the spacer component(s) can be placed between the edges of the first and second caps. Alternatively, the spacer components can be arranged around an axis of one of the first or second caps. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be better understood with reference to the following description and accompanying claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A complete and enabling description of the present invention, including the best embodiment thereof, addressed to a person skilled in the art, is set forth in the description, which refers to the accompanying figures, where: Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of one modality of an e^iea turbine in accordance with this disclosure; Figure 2 illustrates a plan view of a modality of a rotor blade which 25 has a first blade segment and a second blade segment in accordance with the present description; Figure 3 illustrates a perspective view of a section of one modality of the first blade segment in accordance with the present description; Figure 4 illustrates a perspective view of a modality of a section of the 5 second blade segment ep the joining to a rope modality in accordance with the present description; Figure S illustrates a joining assembly of a variant of the Salic turbine rotor blade having the first blade segment joined to the second blade segment in accordance with this disclosure; Figure 6 illustrates an exploded perspective view of one modality of the wind turbine rotor blade assembly in accordance with this disclosure; Figure 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the chord-like joint of Fig. 5 along section line 7-7; Figure 8 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a modality of a bolt extending in a string-like manner from a string-like joint of a rotor blade of a wind turbine in accordance with the present illustration, illustrating: particularly a plurality of flanged caps disposed on the front and rear panels. Figure 9A illustrates a cross-sectional view of support flanges of a rope-shaped joint of a rotor blade with bolts arranged around an axis of one of the flanges in accordance with the present description; Figure 9B illustrates a cross-sectional view of support tabs of a rope-shaped joint of a rotor blade with bolts arranged between them in accordance with the present description; Figure 10 illustrates a cross-sectional view of support tabs of a rope-shaped joint of a rotor blade with a tapered disc spring arranged between them in accordance with the present description; Figure i1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the support flanges of a rope-shaped joint; of a rotor blade with a multi-layer wave disc spring arranged between the flanges in accordance with the present description: Figure 12 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the support tabs of a rope-shaped joint of a rotor blade with a rubber yoke arranged between them in accordance with the present description; and Figure 13 illustrates a flow diagram of one modality of a method for assembling a rotor blade in accordance with this disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not as a limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be evident to persons skilled in the art that various modifications and variations of the present invention can be made without departing from the details or spirit of the invention. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to produce yet another embodiment. It is therefore intended that the present invention covers modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. With reference now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of a clip turbine 10 according to the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, the wind turbine 10 is a horizontal-axis wind turbine. Alternatively, the wind turbine 10 can be a vertical-axis wind turbine. Furthermore, the wind turbine 10 may include a tower 12 extending from a support surface 14, a channel 16 mounted on the tower 12, a generator 18 positioned within the channel 16, a gearbox 20 coupled to the generator 18, and a rotor 22 that is rotationally coupled to the gearbox 20 with a rotor shaft 24. In addition, as shown, the rotor 22 includes a rotating housing 26 and at least one rotor blade 28 coupled to and extending outward from the rotating housing 26. As shown, the rotor blade 28 includes a blade tip 17 and a blade base 19. Referring now to FIG. 2, a plan view of one of the rotor blades 28 of fig 1 As illustrated, the rotor blade 28 may include a first blade segment 30 and a second blade segment 32. Furthermore, the first blade segment 30 and the second blade segment 32 may each extend in opposite directions from a rope-like joint 34. In addition, each of the blade segments 30 and 32 may include at least one casing member, such as a pressure-side casing member 25, a suction-side casing member, an inlet-edge casing member, an outlet-edge casing member, etc. Furthermore, as shown, the first blade segment 30 and the second blade segment 32 are connected by at least one internal support structure 36 that extends into both blade segments 30, 32 to facilitate joining the blade segments 30, 32. Arrow 38 shows that the segmented rotor blade 28 in the illustrated example includes two blade segments 30, 32 and that these blade segments 30, 32 are joined by inserting the internal support structure 36 into the second blade segment 32. Referring now to Figure 3, a perspective view of a section of the first blade segment 30 is illustrated in accordance with the present description. As shown, the first blade segment 30 includes a beam structure 40 that forms part of the internal support structure 36 and extends lengthwise to connect integrally with the second blade segment 32. Furthermore, as shown, the beam structure 40 forms at least part of a shear band 42 connected with a suction-side spar cap 44 and a pressure-side spar cap 46. In addition, the first blade segment 30 may include one or more bolted joints 52 at a receiving end 54 of the beam structure 40. In one embodiment, for example, the bolted joint 52 may include a bolt in an interference fit tightened with a bushing.More specifically* as shown, the bolt 52 may be oriented in a span direction, i.e., along the span or length of the rotor blade 28, which is defined along an axis extending from the root of the blade 19 to the tip of the rotor blade 28. In addition, the first blade segment 30 may also include at least one first bolt joint groove 50 located in the beam structure 40. Furthermore, as shown, the first bolt joint groove 50 may be oriented in a chord direction, i.e., along a chord of the rotor blade 28, which is defined along an axis extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the rotor blade 28. Referring now to HG, 4, a perspective view of a section of the second blade segment 32 is illustrated in accordance with the present description. As shown, the second blade segment 32 includes a receiving section 60 that extends longitudinally within the second blade segment 32 to receive the beam structure 40 of the first blade segment 30. Furthermore, as shown, the receiving section 60 may include one or more stringer structures 66 (similar to stringer caps 44, 46) that extend longitudinally to connect with the beam structure 40 of the first blade segment 30. In addition, as shown in HG. 5, the receiving section 60 may include a rope-like member 48 that has a dowel joint groove 56 defined along its length to receive the dowel joint 52.Furthermore, as shown, the receiving section 60 may include a second dowel joint groove 58 defined through it that aligns with the first dowel joint groove 50 of the beam structure 40. (00431 Referring now to FIG. 5, a rotor blade assembly 70 28 is illustrated having the first blade segment 30 joined to the second blade segment 32 in accordance with the present description. As shown, assembly 70 illustrates multiple support structures beneath the outer housing members of the rotor blade 28. More specifically, as shown, the bolt 52 extending along the receiving end 54 of the beam structure 40 is received within the bolt joining groove 56 along the receiving section 60 to secure the first and second blade segments 30 and 32. In addition, as shown, the first and second bolt joining grooves 50, 58 are aligned, and a rope-like bolt 62 is secured through them to secure the first and second blade segments 30, 32 together. Referring now to FIG. 6, an exploded perspective view of the multiple support structures of assembly 70 towards the tip of the rotor blade 28 is illustrated. As shown, the receiving section 60 is configured to receive the beam structure and may include the second, string-shaped bolt joint groove 58 that aligns with the first, string-shaped bolt joint groove 50 of the beam structure 40 through which the string-length bracket 62 extends. Furthermore, the string-length bolt 62 may be configured to remain in a tight interference fit within the alignment bolt joint grooves 50 and 58, so that the receiving section 60 and the beam structure 40 are joined during assembly. 6 also highlights member 48 in the form of a rope that includes the radial bolt joint groove 56 configured to receive the bolt 52 of the beam structure 40. Referring now to FIG. 7, a cross-sectional view of the rotor blade assembly 70 of FIG. 5 is illustrated along line 7-7. More particularly, as shown, the beam structure 40 is received within the receiving section 60. Furthermore, between the edges of the beam structure 40 and the receiving section 60, there is a space 51 as a leading edge chord and a space 53 as a trailing edge chord. Moreover, the chord-extending bolt 62 is placed through the joint 34 as a chord to secure the internal support structures 20, 40, 60 of the first and second blade segments 30, 32 to each other. In addition, the joint grooves 50 of the first and second bolt of the beam structure 40 and the receiving section 60, respectively, may include a plurality of paired caps 55, 58, 57, 58 to receive the chord-extending bolt 62 through them.For example, as shown, the beam structure 40 and receiving section 60 each 25 may include an entry edge bushing 56,55 and an exit edge bushing 57, 58, respectively, arranged within the opposite ends of the first and second bolt-joint slots 50, 58. In certain forms, the various shells 55,56,57,58 described in this document may also include a lining material, for example, having a coefficient of friction of approximately 0.2. Referring again to FIG. 7, the string-extending bolt 62 may optionally include one or more structural inserts 88, 90 arranged thereon. For example, as shown, the string-extending bolt 62 may include a first structural insert 88 arranged at the end of its trailing edge and a second structural insert 90 arranged at the end of its leading edge. Furthermore, as shown, the structural insert(s) 88, 90 may be aligned with bushings 55, 56, 57, 58. In particular configurations, the structural inserts 88, 90 may be steel inserts pressed into the bolt 62 to provide additional reinforcement in high-load regions. Furthermore, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, each of the 55 pebbles, 6,57, 58 may include a flange 61,63,65,67, respectively, two of which are on the inlet edge side and two of which are on the trailing edge side of the rotor blade 28. More specifically, as shown, a first cap 55 may include a tab 51 extending into the string-like space 51 and surrounding the first end of the first bolt joint groove 50. Similarly, a second cap 56 may include a flange 65 that extends within the space 51 in a chordal shape and surrounds the first end of the second bolt joint groove 58. Furthermore, the edges 61, 65 of the first and second caps 55, 56 bear against each other within the chordal space 51 to maintain the chordal space with a predetermined defined gap or interference fit. Similarly, on an opposite side of the first and second bolt joint slots 50, 58, if rotor blade 28 can include opposite bushings 57, 58 with tabs 63, 67 within another space 63 in the form of a chord between the beam structure 40 and the receiving section, 60, Thus, as shown, the chord-extending bolt 62 is placed through the bushings 55, 56, 57, 58 of the first and second bolt joint slots 50, 58 to secure the first and second blade segments together 30, 32, In such embodiments, the chord width of the supporting flanges (i.e., flanges 61 and 63 or flanges 63 and 67) is greater than the chord width of chord spaces 51, 53 to create the interference fit. For example, in certain embodiments, the chord width of adjacent flanges may be greater than the chord width of chord spaces 51, 53 by approximately 1.5 millimeters (mm). For example, in certain embodiments, bushings 55, 56, 57, 58 may be constructed of a metal or metal alloy. In such embodiments, the metal or metal alloy may include a material tolerance of approximately + / - 0.025 millimeters (mm) in a 1000 mm space. Therefore, as will be discussed in this document, edges 61, 63, 65, 67 can be machined to remove some of the interference to ensure a precise fit within spaces 51, 53 in a threaded fashion. Referring now to FIGS. 9A and 9B, instead of the two flanges completely filling the chord-shaped gaps 51, 53, the chord-shaped joint 34 of the rotor blade 28 may include at least one spacer component 72 adjacent to one or more of the flanges 61, 63, 65, 67 of the spacers 55, 56, 57, 58 within the chord spaces 51, 53. 2S In such embodiments, the chord width of the bearing edges (e.g., edges 61 and 65) is less than the chord width of space 51. Therefore, the spacer component(s) 72 is configured to fill the remaining space within space 51. For example, as shown in Figs. 9A and 9B, the spacer component(s) 72 may include one or more bolts 74. In such embodiments, the spacer components 72 may be constructed of a metal or a metal alloy. As such, the metal or metal alloy generally has a material tolerance of approximately ±0.025 mm. Furthermore, as shown particularly in Fig. 9A, the spacer component(s) 72 may be arranged around an axis of one or more. caps (for example, shaft 78 of cap 5S)< Alternatively, as shown in FIG.98, the spacer components 72 can be arranged between the edges 61, 65 of the support caps 55, 10, 56. In such embodiments, the wedge(s) 74 are contiguous to fill the remainder of the space not filled by the contiguous edges. As such, the bolts 74 and the edges 61, 63 completely fill the gap 51 in a threaded manner (or gap 53). Referring now to FIGS. 10-12, the spacer component(s) 72 15 may alternatively be one or more spring-loaded devices 76. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the spring-loaded device 76 may include a conical disc spring 80. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 11, the spring-loaded device 76 may include a multi-layer wave disc spring 82. In yet another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the spring-loaded device 76 may include a viscoelastic rubber ring 84. In such embodiments, as shown, at least a portion of the viscoelastic rubber ring 84 may be seated within a recess 86 of at least one of the edges 61, 65 of the first and second caps. 55, 56. As such, a portion of the rubber 25 is not enclosed, and thus interacts with the opposite face of the cap. The viscoelastic rubber ring 84 may be particularly suitable for short compression cycles, since its rate of elasticity will eventually become nonlinear and the captured portion of the rubber will become exponentially stiff. Referring now to FIG. 13, a flowchart 100 of a method 5 for assembling a rotor blade in accordance with this disclosure is illustrated. In general, method 100 will be described here with reference to the wind turbine 10 and rotor blade 2S shown in Figs. 1-12. However, it should be appreciated that the described method 100 can be implemented with rotor blades having any other suitable configuration. Furthermore, although Figure 13 depicts the steps performed in a particular order for illustrative and discussion purposes, the methods discussed herein are not limited to any particular order or arrangement. A person skilled in the art, using the disclosures provided herein, will appreciate that various steps of the methods described herein may be omitted, rearranged, combined, and / or adapted in various ways without departing from the scope of this disclosure. As shown in (102), method 100 may include forming the first blade segment 30 and the second blade segment 32 by a molding process. As mentioned in (102), the first blade segment includes the beam structure 40 that extends along it, while the second blade segment 32 includes the receiving section 60 that receives the beam structure 40. As shown in (104), method 100 may include determining a size of at least a chord-shaped gap between an edge of the beam structure 40 and an edge of the receiving section 60 when the beam structure 40 is received within the receiving section 60. As shown in (106), method 100 may include providing a primary pair of metal bushings 55, 57 at opposite ends of the first slot 50 of the beam structure bolt 40. As mentioned, each of the first pair of metal bushings 55, 57 has a tab 61, 63. As shown in (106), method 100 may include providing a second pair of metal bushings 56, 59 at opposite ends of the second bolt-joint groove 58 of the receiving section 60. As mentioned, each of the second pair of metal bushings 56, 59 also includes a flange 65, 67. Therefore, as shown in (110), method 100 includes placing one of the flanges 61, 63 of the first pair of metal bushings 55, 57 with one of the flanges 65, 67 of the second pair of metal bushings 56, 59 such that the flanges support each other within the chordal space (i.e., spaces 51, 53) to fill the chordal space with a predefined space or interference 10. As shown in (112), method 100 may include placing the first and second blade segment 30, 32 in opposite directions from a rope-like joint 34.As shown in (114), method 100 may include inserting the beam structure 40 into the receiving section 60 such that the first bolt-jointing slot 50 of the beam structure 40 aligns with the second bolt-jointing slot 58 of the receiving section 60. As shown in (116), method 100 may include inserting at least one bolt 62 that extends in a string-like fashion through the first and second pairs of brackets 55, 56, 57, 59 into the first and second bolt-jointing slots 50, 58 in such a way as to secure the first and second bracket segments 30, 32. In one embodiment, the size of the gaps 61, 63 as a thread can be determined after the molding process is completed. In such embodiments, method 100 can include machining the plurality of flanges 61, 63, 65, 87 of the plurality of metal caps 55, 56, 57, 59 to eliminate any interference from them that is greater than the thread spaces 51, 53. In another embodiment, providing the first and second pairs of metal caps 55, 57, 56, 58 at opposite ends of the first and second bolt joint grooves SO, respectively, may further include inserting the first and second pairs of metal caps 55, 57, 56, 58 into the first and second bolt joint grooves 50, 58, respectively, so that when the beam structure 40 is inserted into the receiving section 60, the flanges 61, 63, 65, 67 of the first and second pairs of metal caps 55, 57, 56, 58 completely fill the gap like a thread. In such embodiments, the spaces 51, S3 can be completely avoided by inserting the caps into their seats during the insertion process.More specifically, the highest precision features 10 in composite molds are configured to register the bushing seat through any combination of the following: features in the continuous mold itself, features created by mold inserts (e.g., foam mandrel in a closed mold or bearing block, and / or threaded stud insert), features established by eo-infused components, composite-infused bushings, tools for 15 accurately positioning the bushings, and / or tools for establishing critical dimensions (e.g., between the interface planes of the bushing flange). The expert in the field will recognize the interchangeability of several features across different modalities. Similarly, the various steps and features of the described method, as well as other known equivalents for each of these methods and features, can be mixed and matched by an expert in this technique to construct additional systems and techniques in accordance with the principles of this description. Of course, it should be understood that not all the objects or advantages described above can necessarily be achieved according to a particular modality. Thus, for example, experts in the technique will recognize that the systems and techniques described herein can be implemented or carried out in a way that achieves or optimizes an advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other objects or advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. Although only certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, those skilled in the art will notice many modifications and changes. Therefore, it should be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all modifications and changes that fall within the true spirit of the invention. 1Q This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best way, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including the manufacture and use of any device or system and the manner of any method incorporated. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. IS technical, It is intended that those other examples be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences with respect to the literal languages ​​of the claims.

Claims

1. Rotor blade for a wind turbine comprising: a first blade segment and a second blade segment extending in opposite directions from a chord-shaped joint, each of the first and second blade segments comprising at least one housing member defining an airfoil surface and an internal support structure, the first blade segment comprising a lengthwise beam structure structurally connecting the second blade segment via a receiving section, wherein at least a chord-shaped space exists between an edge of the beam structure and an edge of the receiving section, the beam structure defining a first bolt-jointing groove, the receiving section defining a second bolt-jointing groove aligned with the first bolt-jointing groove;a first bushing disposed at a first end of the first bolt joint groove 15, the first bushing comprising a flange extending within the string-like space and surrounding the first end of the first bolt joint groove; a second bushing disposed at a first end of the second bolt joint groove, the second bushing comprising a flange extending within the string-like space and surrounding the first end of the second bolt joint groove, the flanges of the first and second bolt joint grooves bearing against each other within the string-like space to fill the string-like space with a predetermined defined gap or interference; and at least one string-extending bolt positioned through the first and second bushings of the first and second bolt joint grooves to secure the first and second blade segments together.

2. The rotor blade according to claim 1, further comprising a pair of first caps arranged at the first end of the first bolt joint groove and a second opposite opening of the first bolt joint groove, respectively, and a pair of second caps arranged at the first bolt joint groove, the end of the second bolt joint groove and a second opposite opening of the second bolt joint groove, respectively.

3. The rotor blade according to claim 2, wherein the threaded bolt extending through the first and second pairs of bushings of the first and second bolt joining slots to secure the first and second blade segments together.

4. The rotor blade according to claim 1, wherein the rope-shaped space is located adjacent to a trailing edge and / or an incoming edge of the rotor blade 15.

5. The rotor blade according to claim V wherein the chord width of the adjacent edges is greater than the chord width of the chord space to create the interference fit.

6. The rotor blade according to claim 5, wherein the chord width of the adjacent flanges is greater than the chord width of the chord space by approximately 1.5 millimeters (mm).

7. The rotor blade according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second bushings comprises a coating material, the coating material comprising a coefficient of friction of less than approximately 0.

2.

8. The rotor blade according to claim 1, wherein the first and second bushings are constructed of a metal or metal alloy.

9. The rotor blade according to claim 7, wherein the metal or metal alloy comprises a material tolerance of approximately + / -0.025 millimeters (mm) in a 1000 mm space.

10. A method for assembling a rotor blade, the method comprising: 11 forming a first blade segment and a second blade segment by a molding process, each of the first and second blade segments having at least one housing member defining an aerodynamic surface and an internal support structure, the first blade segment having a beam structure extending along its length, the second blade segment having a receiving section; 15 determining a size of at least one chord-shaped gap between an edge of the beam structure and an edge of the receiving section when the beam structure is received within the receiving section;providing a first pair of metal bushings at opposite ends of a first bolt joint groove of the beam structure, each of the first pair of metal bushings comprising a flange; providing a second pair of metal bushings at opposite ends of a second bolt joint groove of the receiving section, each of the second pair of metal bushings comprising a flange; pairing one of the flanges of the first pair of metal bushings with one of the flanges of the second pair of metal bushings so that the flanges bear each other within the chord space to fill the chord space with a predetermined gap or defined interference; positioning the first and second blade segment in opposite directions from a chord-shaped joint;Insert the beam structure into the receiving section so that the first bolt-joint slot of the beam structure aligns with the second bolt-joint slot of the receiving section; and insert at least one bolt extending in a string-like fashion through the first and second pairs of caps into the first and second bolt-joint slots to secure the first and second blade segments together. 10; 11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: determining the size of at least one chord-shaped gap between the edge of the beam structure and the edge of the receiving section when the beam structure is received within the receiving section after the molding process is completed; and machining the plurality of flanges of the plurality of metal caps to eliminate an interference thereof that is greater than the chord gap.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein providing the first pair of metal bushings at opposite ends of the first bolt joint groove and providing the second pair of metal bushings at opposite ends of the second bolt joint groove of the receiving section further comprises: infusing the first and second pair of metal bushings into the first and second bolt joint grooves, respectively, so that when the beam structure is inserted into the receiving section, the flanges of the first and second pair of metal bushings completely fill the gap.

13. The rotor blade for a wind turbine, comprising: a first blade segment and a second blade segment extending in opposite directions from a chord-shaped joint, each of the first and second blade segments comprising at least one housing member defining an airfoil surface and an internal support structure, the first blade segment comprising a beam structure extending along and structurally connecting to the second blade segment via a receiving section, wherein there is at least a chord-shaped gap between an edge of the beam structure and an edge of the receiving section, defining the beam structure, a first bolt-joint groove, defining the receiving section, a second bolt-joint groove that aligns with the first bolt-joint groove, and a first cap disposed at a first end of the first bolt-joint groove.comprising the first cap, a flange extending within the space in a chordal shape and surrounding the first end of the first bolt joining groove; a second cap disposed at a first end of the second bolt joining groove, the second cap comprising a flange extending within the space in a chordal shape and surrounding the first end of the second bolt joining groove; at least one spacer component adjacent to one or more of the edges of the first and second bolt joining grooves within the chordal shape; and at least one chordal-extending bolt placed through the first and second caps of the first and second bolt joining grooves to secure the first and second blade segments together.

14. The rotor blade according to claim 13S wherein at least one spacer component comprises one or more bolts or one or more spring-loaded devices.

5. The rotor blade according to claim 14, wherein the chord width of the adjacent edges is less than the chord gap width so that one or more bolts and the edges completely fill the chord gap.

16. The rotor blade according to claim 15, wherein one or more spring-loaded devices comprise a conical disc spring, a multi-layer wave disc bearing, or a viscoelastic rubber ring.

17. The rotor blade conforming to claim 16, wherein one or more spring-loaded devices correspond to the viscoelastic rubber ring, at least one part of the viscoelastic rubber ring is seated within a recess of at least one of the flanges of the first and second flanges, or flanges.

18. The rotor blade according to claim 13, wherein at least one 1S spacer component is constructed of a metal or metal alloy, the metal or metal alloy comprising a material tolerance of approximately W- 0 025 millimeters (mm).

19. The rotor blade of claim 13, wherein at least one spacer component 20 is positioned between the edges of the first and second tick or arranged around an axis of one of the first or second ticks.

20. The rotor blade according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the first and second casing comprises a lining material, the lining material comprising a coefficient of friction of less than approximately 0.2.

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