Wind Turbine Blade Bonding Using Segmented Adhesive Bands
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current adhesive bonding methods for wind turbine blades are inefficient due to demanding application times, worker safety concerns, excess adhesive usage leading to increased weight and cost, and difficulties in achieving precise application, which are exacerbated by the need for longer blades in modern wind turbines.
Innovation Solution
A method involving adhesive bands in a manageable uncured state, applied in formats like tape, strip, or roll, that flow and cure under controlled pressure and temperature conditions, allowing precise control over adhesive volume and distribution, with properties ensuring minimal deformation and high shear adhesion for effective bonding of prefabricated blade parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If adhesive is applied using traditional pumping and mixing methods, then bonding coverage is achieved, but adhesive application time increases and manufacturing precision decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive application process is segmented into discrete bands positioned at specific intervals along the bonding surface. Instead of continuous adhesive application, the bonding area is divided into multiple discrete adhesive bands, each applied at predetermined locations. This segmentation enables faster application while maintaining precise control over adhesive distribution and volume.
Solution Approach 2:
Adhesive bands are pre-positioned and pre-shaped before the bonding operation. The adhesive is applied in predetermined configurations and allowed to begin curing or stabilize before the actual bonding process begins. This preliminary action reduces the critical application time during assembly while ensuring precise adhesive placement and distribution.
2Reliability
If excess adhesive is used to ensure complete bonding coverage, then bonding reliability improves, but blade weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive application transitions from uniform excess coverage to localized precise application. Adhesive bands are positioned at specific locations where bonding is most critical, with controlled volume and distribution. This local quality approach ensures adequate bonding reliability at key interfaces while minimizing overall adhesive quantity and resulting blade weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The adhesive application parameters are precisely controlled including band width, spacing, volume, and distribution density. By optimizing these parameters, the minimum necessary adhesive quantity is used to achieve reliable bonding. This parameter control eliminates excess adhesive while maintaining bonding reliability through scientifically determined optimal values.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If workers apply adhesive manually with protective equipment, then safety is improved, but application complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive system is designed to be self-applying or self-positioning through pre-formed bands that require minimal manual intervention. The adhesive bands are pre-configured and can be automatically positioned or easily placed without requiring workers to manually apply adhesive under hazardous conditions. This self-service approach improves worker safety while simplifying the application process.
4Power
If blade length is increased to improve energy production, then power output increases, but transportation and assembly difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The blade is divided into multiple sections that can be manufactured and transported separately, then assembled using the segmented adhesive band method. The segmentation principle applied to the bonding process enables efficient assembly of long blades from manageable sections, facilitating transportation and on-site assembly while maintaining bonding reliability across the extended blade structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method reduces adhesive usage, simplifies application, and achieves strong, lightweight bonds suitable for large wind turbine blades, minimizing weight and cost while ensuring reliable bonding across various blade configurations.
Implementation Method 1
adhesive material being able to flow in a curing stage in a controlled way
Implementation Method 2
bonding both parts under predetermined conditions of pressure and temperature
Data Source
Figure 1a~2
Figure 3a~4b
Figure 5a~6b
AI summary
A method for bonding a first and a second prefabricated parts of a wind turbine blade comprising the steps of: disposing bands (45, 55, 65) of an adhesive material in a manageable uncured state following traces (43, 53, 63) signaled on a bonding area of one of said parts, said adhesive material being able to flow in a curing stage in a controlled way, the width (W) and height (H) of said bands (45, 55, 65) and the separation (S1) between said traces (43, 53, 63) being determined so that a predetermined separation (S2) between said bands (45, 55, 65) comprised between 0-300 mm remains after the bonding; bonding both parts under predetermined conditions of pressure and temperature. The invention also refers to a wind turbine blade having prefabricated parts bonded using said method.