System and method for preparation of core kit

Abstract

There is disclosed a system for preparation of a core kit design. The system comprises a computing device configured to receive parameter information associated with core kit for the core kit design. The computing device is further configured to receive weighting information of a relative importance weighting of two or more performance metrics for the core kit. A design optimization program is configured to perform a design optimization process using the received parameter information and the received weighting information to generate information of an optimized design for the core kit. The computing device is also configured to output the information of an optimized design to one or more further design programs and / or one or more manufacturing machines for preparation of the core kit.

Description

[0001] SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PREPARATION OF CORE KIT

[0002] Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a system and method for preparation of a core kit. Background

[0004] Core kits or core material kits are known. Core kits or core material kits may also be referred to as engineered kits or engineered kitting. Core kits typically include a plurality materials, items or parts to be used in assembling a structure or to form part of a structure, or to form part of an interior of a structure. Core material is often used in a sandwich composite laminate, where a typical layup would include a skin layer from a fibrous fabric, a core material, and then another layer of fibrous fabric. For example, a core kit may comprise materials and other items to be supplied and used in manufacturing a wind turbine blade. Core kits may also be supplied and used in the manufacture of marine craft hulls, rail vehicles, buildings, and so on.

[0005] A core kit may be boxed or otherwise packaged and transported to an assembly location of the structure to be assembled. A core kit includes a core material. For example, the core material may comprise one or more core panels. For example a core panel may comprise a polymeric foam such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) foam, or panels of balsa wood or the like. A core kit may also be provided with lengths of fibre materials, such as lengths of glass fibre fabric, which may be provided on a roll. The core kit may also comprise one or more resins, adhesives, etc. The fibre materials may additionally or alternatively be provided in a form pre-impregnated with resin, known as “pre-pregs”. During manufacture, the fabric materials may be applied either side to the core material in a ‘sandwich’ configuration, and consolidated for example during a resin transfer moulding process or by heating.

[0006] A structure to be assembled will often have different geometry and / or different performance requirements in different areas or regions of the structure. For example, a wind turbine blade has a cross-sectional shape that varies across its span from root to tip, meaning that the curvature of the cross section varies along the length of the blade. Accordingly, it may be necessary or desirable for the flexibility or conformability of the core materials (which conformability may be provided by cutting grooves in the core material) to vary

[0007] 456024PCTdependent on the respective position in the wind turbine blade, to provide the necessary conformability to the geometry of the wind turbine blade. Mechanical property requirements, such as stiffness, may also vary dependent on position in the structure. Similar or the same considerations also apply in the provision of core kits for the manufacture of other structures.

[0008] However, currently in practice it can be onerous or impractical to determine what constitutes an optimised core kit (materials, geometry, cutting pattern etc.) for a respective structure, and at different locations within the structure, that the core kit is to be fitted in to. As such, many items and materials for a core kit are provided and used in a standardised form. For example, groove cutting spacings (e.g. for conformability and / or resin transfer) in core materials may be fixed and constant throughout the structure, which may lead to excessive cuts in some areas and insufficient cuts in other areas. Although this is convenient and easy to implement for the designer of the core kit, it can lead to unsuitable or sub-optimal core materials and parameters associated therewith being chosen for the kit. In known kitting practice, the shape or geometry of the materials of the core kit may also be provided in standard shapes, such as squares or rectangles, and then cut to shape or tailored in-situ when being fitted in the structure. This may increase assembly time, increase cost, and may also lead to wastage of materials.

[0009] Summary

[0010] In a first aspect there is provided a system for preparation of a core kit design for a physical structure according to claim 1.

[0011] In a second aspect there is provided a computer-implemented method for preparation of a core kit design for a physical structure according to claim 34.

[0012] In a third aspect there is provided a computer program product according to claim 35. Preferable features, applicable to each of the first, second and third aspects, are set-forth in the statements below.

[0013] According to some examples, the design optimization program is configured to perform, for the location of the structure, a plurality of design optimization processes, each of the plurality of design optimization processes based on different weighting information.

[0014] 456024PCTAccording to some examples information of an optimized design for each of the plurality of design optimization processes is displayed on the display in a report, enabling the user to compare each of the optimized designs, and the computing device is configured to enable the user to select one of the optimized design to be output to the one or more further design programs and / or the one or more manufacturing machines.

[0015] According to some examples, the information of an optimized design comprises a report which includes values calculated by the design optimization program for one or more of the following output parameters for the core kit design: resin uptake weight; core material weight; total core kit weight; quantity of panels; surface area of panels; flattened length of panels; processing cost; resin cost; total cost.

[0016] According to some examples, the geometry information of the location of the structure comprises information of a curvature of the location of the structure to which the core kit is to conform.

[0017] According to some examples, the information identifying the location of the structure into which the core kit is to be fitted is obtained from a location input file which defines start and finish co-ordinates of a plurality of respective locations of the structure.

[0018] According to some examples, the location input file is configured to flag when a finish co-ordinate of a first location is not aligned with a start co-ordinate of an adjacent second location in the location input file.

[0019] According to some examples, the computing device is configured to perform the design optimization process for multiple different locations of the structure, and the computing device is configured to collate optimized designs for separate locations to enable an overall optimized design for the structure to be generated.

[0020] According to some examples, the received parameter information comprises information of one or more values for groove-cutting patterns to be made in the core material.

[0021] According to some examples, the one or more values for groove-cutting patterns comprises a value indicating dimensions of spacings between adjacent grooves and / or dimensions of a groove.

[0022] 456024PCTAccording to some examples, the one or more values for groove-cutting patterns comprises a value indicative of whether to permit flexible grooves which enable the core material to flex in concave and / or convex manners.

[0023] According to some examples, the design optimisation engine is configured to vary the groove-cutting pattern in the core material within the location, dependent on respective varying geometry of the structure within the location.

[0024] According to some examples, the design optimization program is configured to determine a groove spacing from a discrete range of available groove spacings based on curvature of the geometry, optionally the discrete range comprising 20mm, 40mm, 60mm.

[0025] According to some examples, the design optimization program is configured to select parameters for V-shaped grooves for the groove-cutting pattern, based on the curvature of the geometry, and further based on input parameters defining a maximum allowed panel lift from a mould in which the core material is to be laid and a maximum angle for the V-shaped groove.

[0026] According to some examples the design optimization program is configured to select parameters for deep-cut flexible grooves for the groove-cutting pattern, based on the curvature of the geometry, and further based on input parameters defining a maximum allowed panel lift from a mould in which the core material is to be laid and maximum dimensions for the deep-cut flexible grooves.

[0027] According to some examples the received parameter information comprises information enabling the user to select any one or more of (i) a cut-closing condition for the cutting pattern; (ii) a cut-opening condition for the cutting pattern; (iii) an automatic orientation configuration for the core material to ensure a consistent cut-closing or cutopening condition on varying concave and convex areas of the structure.

[0028] According to some examples the received parameter information comprises information of a permeability value relating to a permeability limit of the core material in length, width and depth directions of the core material.

[0029] 456024PCTAccording to some examples the received parameter information comprises information of a resin density value and resin uptake per surface area, enabling weight of resin uptake by the core kit to be controlled.

[0030] According to some examples the received parameter information comprises a value for an adjustable probability of fit parameter which is indicative of a probability of the core material exactly conforming to the geometry of the structure.

[0031] According to some examples the received parameter information comprises information of one or more of: material type of the core material; mechanical properties of the core material; mechanical properties of resin in the core kit.

[0032] According to some examples the received parameter information comprises information defining an extension section of the geometry of the core structure which extends outside of a main cross-sectional area of the geometry, the design optimisation engine configured to treat the extension section separately from the main cross-sectional area when generating the optimized design.

[0033] According to some examples the two or more performance metrics to which the weighting is to be applied comprise any two or more of: weight of the core kit; cost of the core kit; mechanical properties of the core kit; resin infusion performance of the core kit; production cost; mould fit; permeability.

[0034] According to some examples the design optimisation program is configured to calculate areas where there will be infused stiffness in the core material, and to make information of areas of infused stiffness available to the user.

[0035] According to some examples the computing device is configured to transmit the output information of an optimised design to a CAD package for generating one or more design drawings.

[0036] According to some examples the computing device is configured to transmit the output information of an optimised design to a cutting machine, and the cutting machine is configured to perform one or more cuts in a section of core material in accordance with the optimised design.

[0037] 456024PCTAccording to some examples the computing device is configured to transmit the output information of an optimised design to a structural simulation package for validating structural performance and / or structural effects of the core kit.

[0038] According to some examples the computing device is configured to transmit the output information of an optimised design to a resin transfer moulding simulation package for a comparative assessment of the optimised design on infusion performance of the core kit.

[0039] According to some examples the computing device is configured to generate a visualisation of the location of the structure incorporating the optimized design.

[0040] According to some examples the visualisation is configured to show how one or more features of the optimised core kit design vary across the geometry of the structure.

[0041] According to some examples the system is configured to output information of one or more savings compared to a legacy or non-optimised core kit.

[0042] According to some examples the structure comprises one or more sections, each section comprising one or more regions, each region comprising one or more segments, each segment comprising one or more panels, and wherein the location comprises any one of a section of the one or more sections; a region of the one or more regions; a segment of the one or more segments; a panel of the one or more panels.

[0043] According to some examples the structure comprises a wind turbine blade.

[0044] According to some examples the structure comprises any one of a building; a marine vessel; a vehicle.

[0045] Brief description of Figures

[0046] Figure 1 is a schematic view of a system according to an example embodiment;

[0047] Figures 2(a) to 2(d) show sections of core material with groove cuts according to some example embodiments;

[0048] Figures 3(a) to 3 (e) respectively shown core material in a cut-closed configuration, a cut-open configuration, and a mixture of cut-closed and cut-open;

[0049] Figure 4 schematically shows a user interface input screen according to an example embodiment;

[0050] 456024PCTFigure 5 schematically shows a user interface screen according to an example embodiment;

[0051] Figure 6 schematically shows a user interface screen according to an example embodiment;

[0052] Figure 7 schematically shows a user interface screen according to an example embodiment;

[0053] Figure 8 schematically shows a user interface output screen according to an example embodiment;

[0054] Figures 9(a) to 9(f) schematically show respective different groove cutting patterns in core material;

[0055] Figure 10 schematically shows a visualization of a core kit or portion of the core kit once laid in a wind turbine blade mould according to an example embodiment;

[0056] Figure 11 schematically shows a core material pattern arrangement in a wind turbine blade area according to an example embodiment;

[0057] Figure 12 schematically shows a user interface input screen according to an example embodiment;

[0058] Figure 13 schematically shows constituent areas or locations within a wind turbine blade according to an example embodiment.

[0059] Detailed description

[0060] For conciseness, the term “core kit” may be used interchangeably with other similar terms such as core material kits, engineered kits or engineered kitting.

[0061] The present disclosure provides a system, method and computer program for preparation of core kit.

[0062] As shown in Figure 1, there is provided a system 100 for the preparation of a core kit or core kit design. For example, the system enables preparation of a core kit design for a core kit to be fitted to the interior of a structure. For example, the structure may be a wind turbine blade. For example, the “design” of the core kit may be considered as including one or more parameters associated with the parts that make up the core kit (e.g. parameters related to core material and cutting patterns, skin material, resin properties etc.) so that the core kit can be

[0063] 456024PCTprepared according to that design. Such a core kit may be provided so that materials of the core kit can be laid up in a blade mould for manufacturing the wind turbine blade.

[0064] Alternatively, the core kit may be provided for manufacture of one or more portions of a marine vessel, a train, or any other type of vehicle. The core kit may alternatively be provided for the manufacture of a building or structure. A core kit design prepared by the system 100 can subsequently be put into practice by preparing a physical core kit according to the generated core kit design.

[0065] The system 100 comprises a computing device 102. The computing device 102 comprises a processor 104 and a memory 106. It will be understood that the processor 104 may comprise one or more processors and the memory 106 may comprise one or more memories. The one or more processors and the one or more memories may be provided together or in a distributed fashion.

[0066] The computing device 102 is configured to receive parameter information associated with the core kit to be prepared. For example, the parameter information may be input by a human operator or user 108, via a user interface 110 which is in communication with the computing device 102. Parameter information is shown schematically at 140 in Figure 1. The parameter information 140 may comprise values (which could be estimates or preferred values or “rules of thumb” of the operator 108) for those parameters, which values may then subsequently be refined or improved during the design optimisation process, taking into account multiple criteria or constraints. Thus, at least some of the input parameter information 140 may be input directly by the operator 108, for example the operator specifying a thickness for core material. In some examples, at least some of the parameter information may be obtained from database 188 (which is also explained in more detail further below). For example, the operator 108 may specify a part or model number for the core material or for one or more other items that will make up the core kit, and then parameter information relating to that part or model number can be fetched or obtained from the database 188.

[0067] For example, the input parameter information comprises information of a thickness of core material of the core kit. For example, the operator 108 may enter a core thickness value such as (by way of non-limiting example) 10mm, 20mm, 30mm, 40mm, 50mm etc.

[0068] For example, the operator 108 may specify a material type for the core. For example, the operator 108 may specify that the core material is to be a polymeric foam, such as PET foam.

[0069] 456024PCTAlternatively, the operator may specify that the core material is to be formed of wood, such as balsa wood. These materials are of course provided by way of non-limiting example.

[0070] The input parameter information may comprise one or more values for groove-cutting or knife-cutting patterns to be made in the core material. For example, the parameter information may comprise an indication of whether groove cuts or knife cuts are to be present. The one or more values for groove-cutting or knife-cutting may comprise a value indicating a range for spacing between adjacent grooves. For example, the operator 108 may specify a discrete range of 20, 40, 60, 80,100mm spacing between adjacent grooves and a tolerance of 10mm. Therefore, a groove spacing of any value in this list is acceptable to the operator 108. The operator 108 may also specify a “multi-pattern” configuration, where groove spacings can vary within a core material panel i.e. the groove spacing is not fixed.

[0071] Similarly, the one or more values for groove or knife cutting patterns may indicate a groove dimension tolerance, such as a width (W) or depth (D) of a groove. See for example Figure 2(a), which shows a rectangular groove cut into core material panel 112. By way of non-limiting example, the operator 108 may specify a groove width W of 3mm , and / or a groove depth D, defined by the thickness of the core material panel 112 minus the fixed thickness of uncut portion, e.g. 2mm. In some examples, the operator 108 may also specify tolerances for these values. Figure 2(a) shows the core material panel 112 in a flat configuration, and Figure 2(b) shows the core material panel 112 in a slightly bent or curved “groove closed” configuration. The rectangular groove permits a relatively small degree of bending of the core material panel 112.

[0072] According to some examples, the one or more values for groove-cutting patterns may comprise a value indicating whether to permit flexible grooves, also known as “flexgrooves”. See for example Figures 2(c) and 2(d) which show material 113 with a V-cut flex groove with a variable angle alpha, which enables the material 113 to be bent in a concave fashion to a greater degree than a narrow rectangular deep-groove determined by the shape of the saw blade. In some examples the angle alpha may be varied up to a threshold maximum angle (which could itself be set by the operator and / or design parameters). By way of example, the threshold maximum angle may be set at or about 14 degrees. Figure 2(c) shows the core material panel 113 in a flat configuration, and Figure 2(d) shows the panel 113 in a bent or curved “V-groove closed” configuration. As will be appreciated from a comparison of Figures 2(b) and 2(d), the V-grooves permit greater bending than the rectangular grooves.

[0073] 456024PCTIn some examples, the operator 108 can specify as part of input parameter information 140 for the groove side of the panel (i.e. which side of the panel the groove is to be cut into to be “flipped” for example to conform to concave or convex surfaces within the structure, as described in more detail below with reference to Figures 3(a) to 3(e). In some examples, in this setting flex-grooves can be defined at any spacing, without reference to a discrete allowable groove spacing range, for example to fit a curve of the structure that the core material is to be positioned in.

[0074] In some examples, the operator can select between three main groove cutting programs: program (i) deep groove, discrete range of cuts; program (ii) deep groove, any groove spacing between lower and upper limits set by operator; program (iii) V-groove, any spacing between grooves and maximum angle alpha of V-grooves.

[0075] In some examples, the one or more values for groove-cutting patterns may comprise a value indicating whether to permit deep-cut grooves. In some examples the one or more values for groove-cutting patterns may comprise a value indicating whether to permit diagonal grooves. In some examples, the one or more values for groove-cutting patterns may comprise a value indicating whether to permit perforations to be made in the core material, for example to assist users with separating sections of core material via the perforations.

[0076] The presence of groove or knife-cuts may be to (i) improve flexibility or conformability of the core material, and / or (ii) to enhance resin flow through the core material, for example during resin transfer moulding (RTM). In some examples the operator 108 may also be able to specify in which directions the grooves are to extend e.g. length ways or width ways over the core material panel. For example, in the context of a wind turbine blade, width-wise grooves may be configured to extend in the chord direction of the blade, and length-wise grooves may be configured to extend in the span direction of the blade. In some examples, both width-wise and length-wise (and diagonal) cuts may be provided in a criss-cross and / or diagonal fashion.

[0077] In some examples the parameter information may comprise information indicating whether to include vacuum infusion channels (VIC) in the core material. In such examples, the operator may also be able to specify in which directions the vacuum infusion channels are to extend e.g. length ways or width ways. For example, in the context of a wind turbine blade, width-wise vacuum infusion channels may be configured to extend in the chord direction of the blade, and length-wise vacuum infusion channels may be configured to extend in the span

[0078] 456024PCTdirection of the blade. These VIC can be configured in combinations of directions and whether they are placed on the top or bottom surface of the core.

[0079] In some examples, the one or more input parameters for parameter information 140 comprise a parameter enabling the user to select any one or more of (i) a cut-closing condition for the groove cutting pattern; (ii) a cut-opening condition for the cutting pattern; (iii) an automatic orientation configuration for the core to ensure a consistent cut-closing or cut-opening condition on varying concave and convex areas of the structure. In some examples, the cut-closing condition is available for PET foam but not usually for balsa wood core material. In some examples the cut-opening condition is available for balsa wood but not usually PET core materials. This reflects the typical deep-grooving or knife-cutting application of cuts typically employed on polymetric and balsa core materials. However, it will be appreciated that in other examples the cut-opening and cut-closing conditions can be available for either or both of PET foam or balsa wood Figures 2(b) and 2(d) for example show a cut-closing condition, with respect to option (i) above, which can be used if the core material is to be applied to a concave surface of a structure (see for example Figure 3(a)). Alternatively a cut opening condition can be used if the core material is to be applied to a convex surface of a structure (see for example Figure 3(b). The panel of 3(a) can also be flipped, as shown in Figure 3(c), so that there is a cut-closing condition when the panel is to be applied to a convex surface. Selection of the automatic orientation configuration (option (iii) above) enables a cut-opening or cut-closing style groove or cut to be applied in a varying fashion across the length or width of the core material, for sections of material that will span both concave and convex surfaces of the structure (see Figures 3 (d) and3(e)). For deepgroove patterns, it may be beneficial for the grooves to always be in a cut-closing condition (as per Figure 3(e)) as this results in a lower resin uptake. For knife-cut patterns, it may be necessary for the grooves to be in a cut-opening condition, owing to the geometric limitation of the much thinner knife cut, which may limit the ability of the core material to bend in a cut-closing condition.

[0080] In some examples, the one or more input parameters for parameter information 140 comprises a resin density value. For example, this enables the weight of resin uptake by the core kit to be monitored and minimised. The resin density value may be expressed in kg / m3. The one or more input parameters may additionally or alternatively include input related to values for neat resin properties such as mechanical properties that may include Youngs Modulus and / or Shear Modulus for an isotropic material.

[0081] 456024PCTIn some examples, the one or more input parameters comprises a desired or preferred “probability of fit” parameter. The probability of fit parameter is configured to indicate a probability of the core material perfectly fitting or substantially perfectly fitting to the geometry of the structure. The probability of fit parameter may be expressed as a percentage. The probability of fit may be considered a value driving the level of conservativeness for the selection of the groove-cutting patterns, in some examples. In some examples a default value of 80% is used. Reducing the probability of fit value will translate into a reduced level of conservativeness, meaning that the patterns selected will be less strict with regards to the fit of the core panels based on the geometry’s curvature (i.e. higher cut spacings may be selected). Therefore, this parameter can be used to tune the panel-fit-to the mould analysing the impact of having a certain level of conservativeness and, thus, panel fit-to-mould on the resin uptake and centre-to-centre spacings of the grooves. For example, if a high level of fit is not critical, then the probability of fit can be reduced to an acceptable level (e.g. 50%) rather than a high or conservative level (e.g. 80%). This can lead to fewer groove cuts and less manufacturing costs and less material wastage, where high level of fit is not required.

[0082] In some examples, the input parameters comprise desired or preferred mechanical properties of the core material. For example, the mechanical properties may comprise a stiffness which may be expressed in MPa. In some examples, the stiffness may be determined based on known properties of the virgin / uninfused core material (e.g. foam), while a separate calculation or determination can be made to account for a combination of the stiffness of the resin and core material post resin transfer and curing. Such determinations may be based on defined input parameters relating to the virgin / uninfused core material and neat resin properties.

[0083] In some examples, the one or more input parameters comprises a desired or preferred permeability value relating to a permeability limit of the core material to resin. For example, the permeability value may be expressed as a surface area or a cross-sectional area of the core material that is to open to resin flow. For example, the cross-sectional area open to resin flow may be expressed as a fraction of the void cross-sectional area (e.g. voids created by groove cuts) to the cross-sectional area of remaining material. The permeability may be expressed in m2or as a unitless ratio for cross-sectional opening.

[0084] In some examples, the input parameter information 140 comprises information defining an extension section of the geometry of the core structure. For example, the extension section

[0085] 456024PCTmay be considered a section or piece of core material that is necessary to fit the geometry of the structure to which the core material to be applied, but which extends outside or beyond the shape of the input surface that is analysed. For example, the input surface may be defined as generally rectangular for analysis, but the actual geometry of the structure may require an angled or triangular area at an end or a side of the core to conform to geometry of the structure. For example, in a wind turbine blade, extension sections may be required to conform to blade curvature. These could be extensions at the top or bottom of the blade. See Figure 4 for example, which shows an interface screen 189 (which could for example be displayed on user interface 110) by which operator 108 can specify top or bottom extensions for the core and their values. For example, these may be root top extension 191, root bottom extension 193, tip top extension 195, tip bottom extension 197. Advantageously, this allows the computing device (and design optimisation program 136) to process information relating to small extensions separately, allowing the design optimisation program 136 to simplify the analysis and consider chord-wise and spanwise directions in ‘rectangular’ segments rather than processing information related to large, complicated shapes. Thus where the shapes are generally defined using a point cloud, the majority of the structure can be considered as squares or rectangles with right angled edges in the point cloud, and then the extension pieces can be considered separately. This may reduce the processing burden on the computing device 102.

[0086] In some examples, the input parameters for parameter information 140 may include parameters related to vacuum infusion channels (VIC) to be incorporated in the core material. More particularly, the input parameters may comprise dimension values for VICs, including any one or more of: spanwise / chordwise spacing; shape; width; depth.

[0087] In some examples, the input parameters for parameter information 140 may include parameters related to resin infusion holes or pinholes, which run through the depth of the core material. More particularly, the input parameters may comprise dimension values for the pinholes, including pinhole diameter; pinhole spanwise / chordwise spacing.

[0088] The table below provides a non-exhaustive list of input parameters for parameter information 140, representing preferred or desired parameters to be met by the core kit design, that may be input by operator 108 (and / or to be obtained from database 188 based on a prompt from the operator 108).

[0089] 456024PCT

[0090]

[0091] 456024PCT

[0092]

[0093] 456024PCT

[0094]

[0095] Table 1: list of input parameters

[0096] According to some examples, the operator 108 may also be enabled to input one or more parameters pertaining to desired or preferred cost of the core kit, which may set one or more respective thresholds or limits. A non-exhaustive list of cost parameters that may be input for parameter information 140 are shown in Table 2 below.

[0097]

[0098] Table 2 - input cost parameters

[0099] 456024PCTIt will be appreciated that the input cost parameters enable an operator to specify an acceptable cost for manufacturing stages of the core kit, e.g. cost associated with groove cutting, costs associated with vacuum infusion, handling time per panel etc.

[0100] In some examples, the parameter information 140 may include an identification of where in the respective structure the core kit is destined to be fitted. In other words, the parameter information 140 may indicate a location of the structure where the core kit is to be fitted. In the foregoing, a structure may be considered to be broken down into the following areas or locations: section; region; segment; panel in order of decreasing size. For example, a section of a structure is made up of a plurality of regions; a region is made up of a plurality segments; a segment is made up of a plurality of panels. A panel may be considered an individual panel of core material. This is schematically shown in Figure 13, which schematically shows a wind turbine blade section 190. For example, the section 190 may be a leading edge of the blade, from root to tip. The section can be considered to be made up of a plurality of regions 192 (e.g. root region, mid-region, tip-region). Each region is made up of a plurality of segments 194. Each segment is made up of a plurality of panels 196. In some examples, a length of each segment in the x direction (root to tip) may equal a panel length in the x direction. In other words, each segment may comprise a plurality of adjacent panels in the chordwise direction.

[0101] In examples, the parameter information 140 thus identifies a location of a structure into which the core kit is to be fitted. For example, for a marine hull structure, the parameter information 140 may indicate a location of the hull such as bow, stern, starboard, port, upper, lower etc. For a wind turbine blade, the information identifying a location of the structure may comprise information such as whether it is for a root region, a mid-region or a tip-region of the blade

[0102] In some examples the information identifying a location of a structure into which the core kit is to be fitted is obtained from a location input file which defines start and finish coordinates of a plurality of respective locations of the structure. In the given example, the location input file comprises a region input file which defines start and finish co-ordinates of a plurality of respective regions of the structure (e.g. wind turbine blade).

[0103] An example region input file is shown at 114 in Figure 5. This may also be referred to as a region input sheet. As shown, respective columns 116 and 118 enable operator 108 to

[0104] 456024PCTdefine start and end positions for adjacent regions. For example, the start and end positions may be defined in relation to an x-y-z coordinate system. In the context of a wind turbine blade, the x-coordinate would be the distance along the span of the blade from root to tip, the y-coordinate would be the chordwise direction, and the z-direction would be through the cross-sectional thickness of the blade. An absolute start position may be defined at the root of the blade and be given a value of zero. The end position for a given region may be defined with respect to its distance from the absolute start position. In the example of Figure 5 region 1 starts at 0mm and ends at 5000mm (i.e. 5m), and region 2 begins at 5000mm and ends at 25000mm. In other words, region 1 is 5m long in the span-wise direction and region 2 is 20m long in the span-wise direction. Region 2 is adjacent to and abuts region 1. In the region input file the operator 108 may be able to input other information such as a material type (as shown in column 120), and a thickness of the core material (as shown in column 122). Generally, parameters in Table 1 are defined for each region. In some examples, a “region” may be defined as a continuous area or region where one or more criteria are consistent for the core material. For example, a region may be a continuous region where material type, density and thickness of core material does not change. If one or more of those criteria changes, then it may be considered that a new region has begun.

[0105] In some examples, the region input file is configured to flag or alert when a finish coordinate of a first region is not aligned with a start co-ordinate of an adjacent second region (here the terms “first” and “second” being used simply to distinguish between different regions). This is shown for example in Figure 6 where region input file 114 has automatically flagged or highlighted (with an * in this example) that there is an error where region 5 begins (16400mm) before region 4 ends (16410mm). Were this error not spotted and was allowed to continue through to the manufactured physical core kit, this could create significant problems at the point of trying to install the core material into the structure (e.g. blade mould), as the regions may not align. For example, fitters may have to trim material when applying the material to the structure. Identifying this error in the region input sheet, prior to physical production of the core kit, may ultimately reduce material wastage and reduce fitting time of the core kit.

[0106] According to some examples, the parameter information 140 input by the operator 108 comprises geometry information of the section of the structure into which the core kit is to be fitted. For example, the parameter information may contain information pertaining to the

[0107] 456024PCTshape of the section. This information may include information of the cross-sectional shape. This information may also include information of the shape in plan-view of the flat kit.

[0108] In some examples, the geometry information of the section of the structure comprises information of a curvature of the structure to which the core kit must conform. For example, the information of curvature may comprise information of a radius of curvature of the respective section. For example, cross-sectional curvature of a wind turbine blade will be different at the leading edge and the trailing edge of the blade. Additionally or alternatively, the geometry information of the region of the structure comprises one or more of a width dimension, a length dimension, a depth dimension. For example, these dimensions may be provided according to the x-y-z coordinate system previously mentioned.

[0109] In some examples, the geometry information may be provided by uploading a CAD file of the structure (see further explanation with respect to Figure 12). In other words, parameter information 140 may include geometry information related to the core kit or to a structure in which the core kit is to be fitted, and that geometry information may be obtained from an uploaded CAD file.

[0110] The parameter information 140 may comprise, without being limited to, any one or more of the parameters included in Table 1 and Table 2, and could be provided on any one or more of a per-section, per-region, per-segment, per-panel basis.

[0111] According to some examples the computing device 102 is further configured to receive a program configuration file 138. The program configuration file 138 may include global metrics or parameters or settings to be met or aimed to be met by the core kit design. In some examples, the program configuration file comprises information of settings or parameters that includes weighting information of a relative weighting of two or more performance metrics for the core kit. For example, operator 108 can import these desired settings via a user interface, such as user interface 110. This enables relative importance of the two or more performance metrics to be weighted. For example, the performance metrics may be considered metrics or criteria specified by the operator 108 that the core material and / or core kit must or should aim to achieve. In some examples, the two or more performance metrics may comprise performance metrics to be met when the core kit is installed in the structure. For example, the two or more performance metrics may comprise any two or more of: total kit weight or core resin uptake (e.g. in Kg) ; production or manufacturing cost (e.g. in GBP, Euro, or dollars); mechanical properties (e.g. stiffness in MPa); resin infusion performance

[0112] 456024PCT(e.g. permeability in m2), and porosity. In some examples a value for core kit porosity is determined by design optimization program 136 and provided as an output, rather than an input parameter. Porosity may thus in some examples be considered as an output related to flow performance. Porosity may be unitless and calculated as a ratio of free volume / (core length*core width*core thickness). In some examples, the input parameter information 140 and the performance metrics are not exclusive in terms of the parameters included under those headings. For example, weight could be both an “input parameter” and a “performance criteria” to which a weighting is applied. At the same time, the “performance criteria” may include one or more parameters or criteria which is not an “input parameter”, and vice versa.

[0113] Figure 7 schematically shows an input screen 122 via which operator 108 may apply the relative weightings for the performance metrics. In the example of Figure 7, the performance metrics are resin uptake 124, production cost 126, mould fit 128, permeability 130 and mechanical properties 131. In some examples the weightings are simply a ranking of which is the most important metric to be met by the core kit design e.g. resin uptake 1st, mould fit 2nd, mechanical properties 3rd, production cost 4th, permeability 5th In other examples the weighting provides a value or score that can vary over a spectrum, such as a percentage. For example, a score of 100% would be entered for a critical or very important metric to be met, whereas a score of 0% would indicate a low or no priority metric. In some examples, it is possible for two or more of the performance metrics to have the same weighting where the two performance metrics are considered to be of the same importance. In the example of Figure 7 percentage values are provided for the performance metrics as follows: resin uptake 80%; production cost 5%; mould fit 10%; permeability 0%, mechanical properties 6%. In some examples the performance metric weightings can be adjusted by adjusting the position of sliders 132 on the input screen 122.

[0114] Other settings that may be included in the program configuration file 138 include cut dimensions (e.g. width / depth), cut spacings, flex-groove control, geometry import orientation. In particular, these settings or parameters may be included in the program configuration file 138 in the context of grouping methods for the panels i.e. how panels are to be grouped together. Panels may be grouped based on:

[0115] (i) Standard pattern grouping, where curvature of each segment is analysed, and panels can be placed in groups having a cutting pattern from a discrete range e.g.

[0116] 20 / 40 / 60mm. For example, and with respect to Figure 9(d), each panel in or

[0117] 456024PCTallocated to sub-region 260 will have the same cut spacing, each panel in or allocated to sub-region 262 will have the same cut spacing, each panel in or allocated to sub-region 264 will have the same cut spacing.

[0118] (ii) Cuts within panels that are ‘flexgroove panels’ are specified based on a value of a maximum acceptable lift of the core material from the mould and / or maximum angle of V-shaped cuts. See Figure 9(e), showing that there may be any cut spacing (i.e. variable), and schematically showing the concept of lift distance L from the mould. Cuts with the same spacing and geometry may be optionally grouped into panels.

[0119] (iii) Cuts within panels that are multi-pattern (variable distance between cuts) are specified on maximum lift L of the core material from the mould and / or angle of curvature allowed by rectangular deep-cut grooves. See Figure 9(f). Cuts with the same spacing may be optionally grouped into panels.

[0120] Each of these options (i) to (iii) may be considered as separate discretization methods available to operator 108 for grouping of panels. This gives operator 108 flexibility when determining the most applicable cut specification method for the circumstances.

[0121] The memory 106 stores a design optimization program (DOP) shown schematically at 136. Alternatively, the design optimization program 106 may be stored in the cloud. In some examples, the design optimization program 136 may be referred to as a design optimization engine. The design optimization program 136 comprises a software program which, when executed by the processor 104, is configured to perform a design optimization process using the received parameter information 140 and the received program configuration 138 (which includes the weighting information) to generate information of an optimized design 142 for the core kit. In some examples the information of an optimized design may be digitized information of an optimized design. In some examples, the generated information of an optimized design is displayable or displayed to the operator 108, for example via user interface 110 on a display 109, and / or on another display. Therefore, in some examples it may be considered that the generated information of an optimized design is human readable. Of course, the generated information of an optimized design 142 may additionally or alternatively be machine readable.

[0122] The information of an optimized design may provide values for one or more parameters of the optimized design. For example, the information of an optimized design may comprise a

[0123] 456024PCTreport which includes one or more of the following output parameters: resin uptake (Kg); core material weight (kg); Total weight (kg); quantity of panels (#); surface area of panels (m2); flattened length of panels (m); processing cost (GBP / EUR / USD etc); resin cost (GBP / EUR / USD etc); total cost (GBP / EUR / USD). The output parameters included in the information of an optimized design may additionally or alternatively include one or more of the parameters included in Table 1 and Table 2. Thus, it will be understood that one or more of the parameters included in the information of an optimized design may be a parameter that was also included in the input parameters. However, it will of course be understood that a value of a parameter provided in the information of an optimized design that is output by the design optimization program 136 may differ from a value for that parameter when provided as an input parameter. That is, whilst the design optimization program 136 may try to provide a design that tends to the provided values of the input parameters in parameter information 140, the output values for the same parameters in the optimized design may differ, considering the input weightings. The information of an optimized design may also include further information such as the geometry or shapes of the core material for the core kit, cutting patterns on the core material, VIC / Diagonal / pinhole features, etc. In some examples, the optimised design 142 is provided on a per-section basis. However, it will be appreciated that the optimised design could be provided on a per-region basis, a per-segment basis, and even on a per-panel basis, for example with respect to a wind turbine blade.

[0124] In some examples, the computing device 102 is configured to output the information of an optimized design 142 to one or more further design programs. For example, the computing device 102 may be configured to transmit the output information of an optimized design to a CAD (computer aided design) package 144 for generating one or more design drawings of the optimized design. In some examples, the CAD package 144 may automatically generate the design drawings which may then be presented to the operator 108, for example on display 109 or another display in communication with computing device 102. In some examples, the CAD package 144 may adapt or modify a pre-existing non-optimized design into the optimized design. In some examples, the CAD package 144 may present the design drawings for the optimized design in a fashion such that the design drawings are further editable by the user or operator 108.

[0125] In some examples, the computing device 102 is additionally or alternatively configured to transmit the output information of an optimised design 142 to a manufacturing machine. For example, the computing device 102 may be configured to transmit the output information of

[0126] 456024PCTan optimised design to a cutting machine 146. For example, the cutting machine 146 may be a groove cutting machine comprising one or more cutters, such as one or more saw blades. In such examples the cutting machine is configured to perform one or more cuts in a section of core material in accordance with the optimised design 142.

[0127] In some examples, the computing device 102 is additionally or alternatively configured to transmit the output information of an optimised design 142 to a structural simulation package 148 for validating structural performance and / or structural effects of the core kit according to the optimized design. This may be achieved with connection scripts that translate the data from the co-ordinate system of optimized design 142 to the structural simulation package 148, and describing the data in the correct syntax required by the recipient simulation package. For example, the structural simulation package may perform finite element analysis (FEA) on the optimized design 142. For example, the structural simulation package may be a package provided by Altair®.

[0128] In some examples, the computing device 102 is additionally or alternatively configured to transmit the output information of an optimised design 142 to a resin transfer moulding (RTM) simulation package for a comparative assessment of the optimised design on infusion performance of the core kit. This is achieved with connection scripts that translate this data from the co-ordinate system of design 142 to the RTM model system 150 and describing the data in the correct syntax that is required by the recipient simulation package. For example, the RTM simulation package may be provided by Altair®.

[0129] In some examples, the design optimization program is configured to perform, for the respective section of the structure, a plurality of design optimization processes, where each of the plurality of design optimization processes is based on different weighting information. For example, for a first section (say “Section 1”), the operator may run the design optimization process a number of times, each time adjusting the weightings for the two or more performance metrics. Each iteration may be referred to as a “run”. For each run, the design optimization program will output one optimized design. In some examples, whilst the weightings may be adjusted between each run, the input parameters may be kept constant. In some examples, each run may be performed in sequence. In some examples, two or more of the runs may be performed in parallel. In some examples, the design optimization program 136 performs the multiple runs automatically. In some examples, several runs with different

[0130] 456024PCTweightings can be prepared and then run at once. In some examples, the design optimization program 136 performs each run in response to user input.

[0131] In some examples, an optimized design for one or more of the plurality of design optimization processes or runs is displayed on the display 109, or on another display, in a report. The report enables the operator 108 to compare the information of the optimized designs from the respective “runs”. The report may be termed a core kit design report. An example core kit design report 150 is shown in Figure 8, which shows values for output parameters according to four respective runs (Run 1 to Run 4), where the weightings have been adjusted for each run. In the example of Figure 8, the output parameters for the core kit design report are: resin uptake (Kg); core material weight (kg); Total weight (kg); quantity of panels (#); surface area of panels (m2); flattened length of panels (m); processing cost (GBP / EUR / USD etc); resin cost (GBP / EUR / USD etc); total cost (GBP / EUR / USD), cut type.

[0132] In some examples, the computing device 102 is configured to enable the operator 108 to select one of the optimized designs. For example, in a region 152 the operator 108 can select one of the optimized designs. In some examples, the selected optimized design comprises the information of an optimized design which is output to the one or more further design programs and / or the one or more manufacturing machines for preparation of the core kit.

[0133] In some examples, the computing device 102 is configured to perform the design optimization process for multiple different locations (e.g. section, region, segment, panels) of the structure. For example, for a boat hull the computing device 102 may perform the design optimization process for bow, stern, starboard, and port regions. For a wind turbine blade, the computing device 102 may perform the design optimization process for e.g. windward leading edge section, windward trailing edge section of the blade. Then, the computing device 102 is configured to collate optimized designs for the separate sections to enable an overall optimized design for the structure to be created. Of course, in practice the different “section” may be broken down with a finer level of granularity, e.g. root region, a mid-region and a tip-region . In some examples, the collating optimized designs is a post-processing step downstream of the design optimization program 136. In some examples, the collating optimized designs is performed by the design optimization program 136.

[0134] According to some examples, the design optimization program 136 is configured to set a spacing between groove cuts in the core material, where a spacing between adjacent groove cuts may vary within a region. In some examples the design optimization program varies the

[0135] 456024PCTspacing between groove cuts dependent on a respective varying geometry of the structure where that region of the core kit will be positioned. For example, in a location of the structure in which the core material is to be positioned, a curvature of the geometry of the structure may vary. The present disclosure identifies that a relatively smaller spacing may be required between adjacent groove cuts where the core material needs to be curved, to enhance conformability of the core material. On the other hand, in flat or less curved regions of the structure, fewer groove cuts may be required.

[0136] This is schematically represented in Figures 9(a) to 9(c), which respectively schematically show a section of core material 154, 154’ and 154”. Section of core material 154 shown in Figure 9(a) may be a standard section of core material with a fixed spacing between groove cuts. For example, the groove cut spacing between adjacent groove cuts may be 40mm across the entire surface of core material 154. This means that core material 154 has a relatively high conformability, but such conformability is not necessary where the material will be flat, meaning that there are potentially redundant cuts in that area.

[0137] Figure 9(b) shows an example section of core material 154’, which may have a varying groove cut spacing across its surface determined by design optimization program 136. For example, the design optimization program 136 may have determined that a relatively close groove cut spacing is needed in a first sub-region of the core material 156 where the core material 154’ needs to conform to a corresponding curved surface of the structure. For example, in sub-region 156 of the core material 154’ the groove cut spacing may be 40mm. However, in sub-region 158 of the core material 154’, where the core material 154’ does not need to be as conformable then a relatively larger groove cut spacing can be provisioned by the design optimization program 136. For example, in sub-region 158 the groove cut spacing could be in the region of 200mm.

[0138] Figure 9(c) shows an extension of this concept. Here, the design optimization program 136 has split the section of core material 154” into three sub-sections or sub-regions. A first sub-region 160 of the core material 154’” has a relatively small groove spacing between adjacent grooves. For example, the groove spacing may be 40mm in region 160. The design optimization program 136 has determined that in sub-region 162 of core material 154’”, some conformability is required (but less conformability than in region 160). Accordingly, a relatively larger groove spacing is provisioned in sub-region 162 of core material 154’”. For example, in sub-region 162 of core material 154’” the groove spacing may be in the region

[0139] 456024PCTof 150mm. The design optimization program 136 has determined that in sub-region 164 of core material 154”’, little or no conformability is required. Accordingly, a relatively larger groove spacing (compared to sub-regions 160 and 162) is provisioned in sub-region 164. For example, in sub-region 164 the groove spacing may be in the region of 400mm.

[0140] Accordingly, it can be appreciated how design optimization program 136 has optimized the groove cut spacing for the core material, dependent on varying geometry of the structure that the core material is to be positioned in to. It will also be appreciated that the sections of core material 154’ and 154” have fewer cuts that the “standard” section of core material 154. Accordingly, use of the design optimization program 136 may result in lower processing time for the core material (less time required to make cuts), less material wastage (less material removed), and lower resin uptake (less free volume to absorb resin) leading to a lower weight core, compared to if the design optimization program 136 is not used and standard core cut patterns are selected and utilised instead.

[0141] According to some examples the design optimization program 136 is configured to calculate areas of infused stiffness in the core. For example, the design optimization program 136 may calculate or determine areas or regions of the core material where it is determined that resin will accumulate and harden during a resin infusion process. For example, the design optimization program 136 may determine that stiffness will be higher in regions where there are cuts or grooves. The design optimization program may use this information when determining projected overall stiffness of the core material after resin transfer, and / or varying degrees of stiffness across sub regions of the core material.

[0142] According to some examples, the computing device 102 is configured to generate a visualisation of the design of the core kit, incorporating the optimized design. The visualization may be displayed, for example, on user interface 110. For example, Figure 10 shows a visualization 166 of a core kit or portion of the core kit once laid in a wind turbine blade mould. Here, a first region (Region 1) is schematically shown at 168 and a second region (Region 2) is schematically shown at 170. Figure 10 also schematically shows different panels within the regions, and the visualization 166 can be configured to show core kit parameters, such as groove spacing, for any or all panels within view or for selected panels, which facilitates easy interpretation of the core kit design by the operator. In some examples, the operator 108 can select a panel (for example by hovering a mouse cursor over the panel or clicking on the panel), and then information pertaining to properties of that panel

[0143] 456024PCTwill be displayed. For example, information such as groove spacing, RUT, overall weight etc. for a selected panel may be displayed to operator 108.

[0144] According to some examples, a same or different visualisation output is generated and provided which shows how, according to the optimized design 142 generated by the design optimization program 136, one or more features vary across the geometry of the core kit. This is shown in Figures 11(a) and 11(b) in a highly schematized fashion. Figure 11(a) schematically shows a wind turbine blade 170 extending from a root portion 172 to a tip portion 174, where the core kit has been prepared without use of the design optimization program 136. The key shows that throughout the blade 172 the groove spacing in the core material is consistently 40mm with no variation. Figure 11(b) on the other hand schematically shows a wind turbine blade 170’ extending from a root portion 172’ to a tip portion 174’, where the core kit has been prepared with use of the design optimization program 136. The key shows variation of groove spacing in the core material through the blade 170’. For example, different regions of the blade 170’ have core material groove spacings of 40mm, 30mm, 20mm, 10mm. It will be appreciated that these values are provided by way of example, and that in practice the actual values may vary. Moreover, although varying groove spacings are shown in Figure 11 for the purpose of example, it will be understood that other varying parameters (RUT, weight, material type) may be visualized and displayed in an equivalent fashion.

[0145] In some examples, the report is configured to display one or more cost savings compared to a legacy or non-optimized core kit. The report may be accompanied by a 3D visualisation to enable the user to better visualise the benefits of one design versus another. In some examples, the visualization may be provided for one or more of: the whole structure; one or more regions of the structure; one or more sub regions of the structure. For example, a cost saving in a currency such as GBP / EUR / USD may be displayed. This helps the operator 108 understand the benefits of the optimized core kit. In some examples, other types of savings may additionally or alternatively be determined and displayed. For example, material weight savings and / or processing time savings may be displayed.

[0146] Figure 12 schematically shows a user interface screen 180 which may be displayed when performing a design optimization process. Via this screen 180 a user may select a design optimization program 136 to be run. In this example, the operator 108 has selected design optimization program “dopl.exe”. In some examples, only one design optimization program

[0147] 456024PCTis provided in which case the option to select different optimization programs is not available. Via screen 180 the operator 108 may also select an input structure file 182. For example, the input structure file 182 may contain information of the geometry of the structure in which the core kit is to be installed. In some examples, the input structure file 182 may be a CAD file. In the example of Figure 12 the operator 108 has selected the input structure file Structure. stp. Via screen 180 the operator 108 may also select a program configuration file 138, as previously discussed. For example, the program configuration file 138 will contain weighting information. In the example of Figure 12, the operator 108 has selected an input program configuration file “config. yml”. Via screen 180 the operator 108 may also select an input region control file 184. The input region control file 184 may contain the parameter information 140 previously discussed. For example, the input region control file 184 may be an excel file that has been populated by the operator 108. In the example of Figure 12, the operator 108 has selected an input region control file “Input.xls”. Via screen 180 the operator 108 may optionally select a flat kit outline file, of how the core kit should be or aim to be when in its flattened form. This can be useful for production and packaging of the core kit. In the example of Figure 12, the operator 108 has selected a flat kit outline file “Flatkit. ex”. In some examples, an “optimization” option 187 can be selected to be on or off. Optimization option 187 may be considered an expanded optimization that makes optimization to a very fine level of granularity e.g. on a cut-by-cut basis. The operator 108 may make a decision whether to choose the optimization option 187, trading off the higher degree of optimization versus the additional processing required to provide that level of optimization. Once the relevant files and options have been selected, the operator 108 can then cause the design optimisation process to be run, for example by selecting “Run” button 186. A core kit design report, such as that shown in Figure 8, may ultimately be provided. A “Visualize” button 199 may bring up a screen such as that shown in Figure 10 or Figures 11(a) and 11(b). A “Modify” button 201 may change one or more parameters or inputs of the specification by importing a change file, without having to rerun the whole program. A “data log” button 203 may cause information to be displayed about previous design optimization “runs” (e.g. time and date, , warning, errors etc).

[0148] Referring back to Figure 1, as previously discussed a database is schematically shown at 188. The database 188 may comprise a single database, or may represent a number of databases. The database 188 is in communication with computing device 102. In some examples, the database 188 may be stored in memory 106. In some examples, the database

[0149] 456024PCT188 is stored in the cloud. The design optimization program 136 can call on information from database 188 when performing the design optimization process, directly or indirectly. For example, the database 188 may store information regarding technical properties of different items and / or materials that may be included in a core kit. For example, the database 188 may store information such as weight, stiffness, density etc. of various core materials. Based on known tables and / or manufacturer defined input, information of surface resin uptake, conformability etc. may be stored for one or more core materials, and additionally may include information for known groove cut spacings and depths, whether vacuum infusion channels etc are present for a standard or known cutting pattern. For example, database 188 may store one or more associations between available core materials and their properties. For example, core kit products (including core materials) may have an associated identifier (ID) . Properties and information for that product can then be called from database 188 by supplying the relevant ID for that product. The database 188 may also store information regarding the flow properties , mechanical properties and densities of different resins. In some examples, the design optimisation program 136 can apply information directly from database 188. In some examples, the design optimisation program 136 can extrapolate information from the database 188. For example, if the design optimisation program 136 wants to determine a value (e.g. weight, permeability) for a core material and an exact match is not found in the database 188, then design optimisation program 136 can search for a closest match or extrapolate between two closest matches. The design optimization program 136 may also learn and store results over time, based on earlier determinations or additional information input into the database 188.

[0150] It will be appreciated that embodiments the present disclosure may significantly decrease the time taken in devising one or more core kit designs, considering multiple criteria. In some examples, the specific combination of the parameter information for the core kit being at least information of a thickness and material for the core kit; information identifying a region of a structure into which the core kit is to be fitted; and geometry information of the region of the structure into which the core kit, in combination with the weighting information, is found to provide good results in terms of optimisation whilst not being overly burdensome on the operator 108 or the processing and memory requirements of the computing device 102. The design optimisation process can of course be further refined by inputting further parameter information, as described. Embodiments of the present disclosure may also lead to more efficient fitting of the core kit into the corresponding structure due to the optimised nature of

[0151] 456024PCTthe output core kit design, leading to savings in terms of downstream design (e.g. production of drawings) and manufacturing costs.

[0152] It will be understood that the description is provided in a non-limiting manner and the scope of the invention is defined in the appended claims. Unless specifically stated to the contrary, features from different examples or embodiments described in the description can be combined.

[0153] 456024PCT

Claims

Claims1. A system for preparation of a core kit design for a physical structure, the system comprising:a computing device having a processor and a memory, the computing device configured to receive parameter information for the core kit design, the parameter information comprising: information of a thickness of core material for the core kit; information identifying a location of a structure into which the core kit is to be fitted; and geometry information of the location of the structure into which the core kit is to be fitted;the computing device further configured to receive weighting information of a relative importance weighting of two or more performance metrics for the core kit;the memory storing a design optimization program which is configured, when executed by the processor, to perform a design optimization process to generate information of an optimized design for the core kit for the location based on and using the received parameter information and the received weighting information, which generated information is displayable on a display to a user;the computing device configured to output the information of an optimized design to one or more further design programs for further design of the core kit and / or to one or more manufacturing machines for manufacturing the core kit.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the design optimization program is configured to perform, for the location of the structure, a plurality of design optimization processes, each of the plurality of design optimization processes based on different weighting information.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein information of an optimized design for each of the plurality of design optimization processes is displayed on the display in a report, enabling the user to compare each of the optimized designs, and the computing device is configured to enable the user to select one of the optimized design to be output to the one or more further design programs and / or the one or more manufacturing machines.456024PCT4. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the information of an optimized design comprises a report which includes values calculated by the design optimization program for one or more of the following output parameters for the core kit design: resin uptake weight; core material weight; total core kit weight; quantity of panels; surface area of panels; flattened length of panels; processing cost; resin cost; total cost.

5. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the geometry information of the location of the structure comprises information of a curvature of the location of the structure to which the core kit is to conform.

6. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the information identifying the location of the structure into which the core kit is to be fitted is obtained from a location input file which defines start and finish co-ordinates of a plurality of respective locations of the structure.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein the location input file is configured to flag when a finish co-ordinate of a first location is not aligned with a start co-ordinate of an adjacent second location in the location input file.

8. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the computing device is configured to perform the design optimization process for multiple different locations of the structure, and the computing device is configured to collate optimized designs for separate locations to enable an overall optimized design for the structure to be generated.

9. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the received parameter information comprises information of one or more values for groove-cutting patterns to be made in the core material.456024PCT10. A system according to claim 9, wherein the one or more values for groove-cutting patterns comprises a value indicating dimensions of spacings between adjacent grooves and / or dimensions of a groove.

11. A system according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the one or more values for groove-cutting patterns comprises a value indicative of whether to permit flexible grooves which enable the core material to flex in concave and / or convex manners.

12. A system according to any of claims 9 to 11, wherein the design optimisation engine is configured to vary the groove-cutting pattern in the core material within the location, dependent on respective varying geometry of the structure within the location.

13. A system according to claim 9, wherein the design optimization program is configured to determine a groove spacing from a discrete range of available groove spacings based on curvature of the geometry, optionally the discrete range comprising 20mm, 40mm, 60mm.

14. A system according to claim 9, wherein the design optimization program is configured to select parameters for V-shaped grooves for the groove-cutting pattern, based on the curvature of the geometry, and further based on input parameters defining a maximum allowed panel lift from a mould in which the core material is to be laid and a maximum angle for the V-shaped groove.

15. A system according to claim 9, wherein the design optimization program is configured to select parameters for deep-cut flexible grooves for the groove-cutting pattern, based on the curvature of the geometry, and further based on input parameters defining a maximum allowed panel lift from a mould in which the core material is to be laid and maximum dimensions for the deep-cut flexible grooves.456024PCT16. A system according to any of claims 9 to 15 wherein the received parameter information comprises information enabling the user to select any one or more of (i) a cutclosing condition for the cutting pattern; (ii) a cut-opening condition for the cutting pattern; (iii) an automatic orientation configuration for the core material to ensure a consistent cutclosing or cut-opening condition on varying concave and convex areas of the structure.

17. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the received parameter information comprises information of a permeability value relating to a permeability limit of the core material in length, width and depth directions of the core material .

18. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the received parameter information comprises information of a resin density value and resin uptake per surface area, enabling weight of resin uptake by the core kit to be controlled.

19. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the received parameter information comprises a value for an adjustable probability of fit parameter which is indicative of a probability of the core material exactly conforming to the geometry of the structure.

20. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the received parameter information comprises information of one or more of: material type of the core material; mechanical properties of the core material; mechanical properties of resin in the core kit.

21. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the received parameter information comprises information defining an extension section of the geometry of the core structure which extends outside of a main cross-sectional area of the geometry, the design optimisation engine configured to treat the extension section separately from the main cross-sectional area when generating the optimized design.456024PCT22. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the two or more performance metrics to which the weighting is to be applied comprise any two or more of: weight of the core kit; cost of the core kit; mechanical properties of the core kit; resin infusion performance of the core kit; production cost; mould fit; permeability.

23. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the design optimisation program is configured to calculate areas where there will be infused stiffness in the core material, and to make information of areas of infused stiffness available to the user.

24. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the computing device is configured to transmit the output information of an optimised design to a CAD package for generating one or more design drawings.

25. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the computing device is configured to transmit the output information of an optimised design to a cutting machine, and the cutting machine is configured to perform one or more cuts in a section of core material in accordance with the optimised design.

26. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the computing device is configured to transmit the output information of an optimised design to a structural simulation package for validating structural performance and / or structural effects of the core kit.

27. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the computing device is configured to transmit the output information of an optimised design to a resin transfer moulding simulation package for a comparative assessment of the optimised design on infusion performance of the core kit.456024PCT28. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the computing device is configured to generate a visualisation of the location of the structure incorporating the optimized design.

29. A system according to claim 28, wherein the visualisation is configured to show how one or more features of the optimised core kit design vary across the geometry of the structure.

30. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the system is configured to output information of one or more savings compared to a legacy or non-optimised core kit.

31. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the structure comprises one or more sections, each section comprising one or more regions, each region comprising one or more segments, each segment comprising one or more panels, and wherein the location comprises any one of a section of the one or more sections; a region of the one or more regions; a segment of the one or more segments; a panel of the one or more panels.

32. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the structure comprises a wind turbine blade.

33. A system according to any of claims 1 to 31, wherein the structure comprises any one of a building; a marine vessel; a vehicle.

34. A computer-implemented method for preparation of a core kit design for a physical structure, the method comprising:receiving parameter information for the core kit design, the parameter information comprising: information of a thickness of core material for the core kit; information identifying a location of a structure into which the core kit is to be fitted; and geometry information of the location of the structure into which the core kit is to be fitted;456024PCTreceiving weighting information of a relative importance weighting of two or more performance metrics for the core kit;storing a design optimization program;executing the design optimization program to perform a design optimization process to generate information of an optimized design for the core kit for the location based on and using the received parameter information and the received weighting information;displaying the generated information on a display to a user; andoutputting the information of an optimized design to one or more further design programs for further design of the core kit and / or to one or more manufacturing machines for manufacturing the core kit.

35. A computer program product storing a computer program which is configured, when executed, to perform the method of claim 34.456024PCT

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