Wind Turbine Blade Root Attachment Filler Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wind turbine blade root attachment systems face challenges in filling void spaces between bushings arranged in a ring, which can compromise the structural integrity and performance of the blade due to unfilled gaps.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a bushing with cylindrical cutouts and a wedge-shaped core, combined with a filler that engages the ear and cutouts of adjacent assemblies, forming a continuous surface when arranged in a ring, thereby eliminating gaps and enhancing strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If bushings are arranged in a ring for blade root attachment, then the attachment system can be formed, but void spaces and gaps appear between adjacent bushings compromising structural integrity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple components (bushing, core, and filler) into an integrated assembly where the filler merges with adjacent fillers to form a continuous surface. This merging eliminates gaps between individual bushings while maintaining the ring configuration, thereby resolving the contradiction between forming the attachment system and eliminating void spaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The core is nested within the bushing, and the filler is disposed within cutouts of both the bushing and core. This nested arrangement allows the filler to extend into spaces that would otherwise be voids, effectively filling gaps between adjacent assemblies when arranged in a ring, thus improving structural integrity without compromising the ring formation.
2Loss of substance
If traditional bushing arrangements are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but material usage increases and structural performance decreases due to unfilled gaps
Solution Approach 1:
The filler is strategically disposed within specific cutouts of the bushing and core at locations where void spaces occur between adjacent assemblies. This localized placement of filler material addresses gap formation only where necessary, optimizing material usage by placing material precisely where structural reinforcement is needed rather than uniformly throughout.
Solution Approach 2:
The assembly combines different materials (bushing, core, and filler) into a composite structure. The filler material complements the bushing and core by filling void spaces, creating a composite assembly that optimizes both material efficiency and structural performance through the synergistic combination of different material properties.
Data Source
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AI summary
Devices, systems, and methods of manufacturing wind turbine root attachment are provided. In various embodiments, an assembly for wind turbine root attachments includes a bushing, a core, and a filler. The bushing includes a body having cutouts extending from the proximal end to the distal end on either side of the bushing and a core cutout at the distal end. The bushing further includes an ear disposed at the proximal end of the bushing and within the first cutout. The core includes two wedges where the thick end of each wedge abut one another. The thin end of the proximal wedge is disposed within the core cutout and the core includes cutouts extending from the proximal end to the distal end on either side of the core. The filler is disposed within the cutout on the side of the assembly having the ear.