Wind Turbine Blade End Frames for Upright Transport and Storage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current transportation and storage systems for wind turbine blades are inefficient due to multiple handling steps and lack of suitable support mechanisms that allow for upright resting on horizontal surfaces, leading to cumbersome and heavy equipment requirements.

Innovation Solution

A system comprising a tip end frame assembly with a tip end receptacle and a root end frame assembly, featuring upwardly open spaces, supporting surfaces that conform to the blade's contour, and releasable retaining means, allowing for efficient storage, transportation, and handling by enabling the blade to rest upright on horizontal surfaces, with options for using either the receptacle or frame for different transport methods.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If multiple transportation steps and reloading are used for wind turbine blades, then blades can be transported from production facility to wind turbine site, but handling complexity and time consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehandling efficiencyVSAvoidtransportation time

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The transportation system is divided into modular components: a base unit with support frame and upright members, and detachable blade receiving units that can be attached and detached. This segmentation allows the blade to be secured in a standardized manner at both production facility and wind turbine site, reducing handling complexity and reloading time across multiple transportation steps.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The base unit with upright members and blade receiving units is designed as a universal system that can accommodate different blade sizes and configurations. The same transportation apparatus can be used at both production facility and wind turbine site, eliminating the need for specialized equipment for each location and reducing handling complexity during reloading operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If heavy and bulky equipment is used to support wind turbine blades during transportation, then blade support stability is improved, but equipment weight and bulk increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveblade support stabilityVSAvoidequipment weight

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSWeight of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of supporting the blade from below with heavy ground-based equipment, the system inverts the support approach by using upright members that extend upward from a base unit. The blade receiving units engage with the blade from the sides and top, distributing support forces through the blade's structural elements (root end and tip end) rather than requiring heavy equipment to counterbalance the blade's weight.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The upright members and blade receiving units act as intermediaries between the base unit and the blade. These components transfer and distribute the blade's weight to the ground through the base unit while providing stable support during transportation, eliminating the need for heavy equipment that would directly support the blade's entire weight.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If blade supporting surfaces are designed to conform to blade contour, then blade protection from scratching is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveblade surface protectionVSAvoidmanufacturing simplicity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The blade receiving units incorporate flexible or compliant supporting surfaces that can conform to the blade's contour without requiring complex custom-shaped structures. These flexible surfaces naturally adapt to the blade's shape while providing protection, simplifying manufacturing compared to rigid custom-molded supports.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The supporting surfaces use composite material structures combining rigid structural elements with protective compliant layers. This allows the support to maintain structural integrity while the outer layer conforms to the blade contour for protection, achieving both blade protection and manufacturing simplicity through material composition rather than complex geometry.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Data Source

PatentUS8967929B2Transportation and storage system for wind turbine blades

Publication Date: 2015.03.03 LM GLASSFIBER

AI summary

A transportation and storage system for a wind turbine rotor blade comprises a tip end frame assembly comprising a tip end receptacle and a tip end frame. The tip end receptacle comprises an upwardly open tip end-receiving space for receiving a portion of the tip end of the blade and having a supporting surface for supporting the blade, a lower surface allowing the tip end receptacle to rest upright on a substantially horizontal surface, such as the ground, and releasable retaining means for releasably retaining the tip end of the blade in the receiving space of the tip end receptacle. The tip end frame comprises an upwardly open receptacle-receiving space for receiving the receptacle and provided with positioning means for positioning the receptacle in the tip end frame. A base part defines a bottom surface allowing the tip end frame to rest upright on the ground.