Wind Turbine Blade Root Mould Inlay for Diameter Customization
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing of wind turbine blades faces challenges in achieving uniform impregnation of fibre-reinforcement materials with resin, leading to dry spots and increased processing time, especially for larger blades, which complicates the production and meets growing demand in the wind turbine industry.
Innovation Solution
The method involves using mould inlays with a tapering section to adjust the root diameter of wind turbine blades, allowing the same mould to produce blades with different diameters, and employing a VARTM process with fibre-reinforcement material and resin curing to form a composite structure, enabling customization and efficient resin distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If vacuum infusion is used to manufacture composite structures, then resin can be drawn into the mould cavity to fill the fibre material, but dry spots occur where fibre material is not sufficiently impregnated with resin
Solution Approach 1:
The mould cavity is divided into multiple inlet zones with separate inlet channels positioned at different locations. This segmentation allows resin to be introduced at multiple points simultaneously, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the fibre material and eliminating dry spots that occur with single-point injection.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the mould cavity are equipped with dedicated inlet channels optimized for their specific locations. The resin distribution system adapts to local requirements by positioning inlet channels where resin flow is most needed, ensuring uniform impregnation throughout the entire fibre material volume.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the blade root diameter is customized for different wind turbine manufacturers, then each blade can be tailored to specific mounting requirements, but multiple custom moulds are needed for each variation
Solution Approach 1:
The mould system incorporates adjustable mould parts that can be repositioned or reconfigured to accommodate different blade root diameters. This dynamic adjustment capability allows a single mould base to produce multiple blade variants by simply changing the position or configuration of the mould parts, eliminating the need for multiple custom moulds.
Solution Approach 2:
The mould system is designed as a universal platform that can manufacture blades with different root diameters using the same basic mould structure. By incorporating interchangeable or adjustable mould parts, the system achieves multi-functionality, serving multiple wind turbine manufacturers with a single mould design.
3Productivity
If larger blades are manufactured with the same mould, then production capacity increases, but the impregnation process becomes more difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The mould cavity for larger blades is segmented into multiple zones with distributed inlet channels. This allows resin to be introduced simultaneously at multiple locations, reducing the total impregnation time compared to a single-point injection system, while still accommodating the larger blade size.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum infusion system maintains continuous vacuum pressure and resin flow throughout the entire impregnation process. This continuous action ensures that resin is constantly drawn into the fibre material from all inlet channels simultaneously, accelerating the impregnation process for larger blades without compromising quality.
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 approach allows for the customization of blade root diameters without altering the blade shell thickness, reduces the need for multiple moulds, and enhances the efficiency of resin distribution, thereby improving production throughput and reducing the risk of dry spots and deformations.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum is generated in the mould cavity hereby drawing in the polymer
Implementation Method 2
By generating a vacuum, typically 80 to 95% of the total vacuum, in the mould cavity between the first mould part and the vacuum bag, the liquid polymer can be drawn in
Data Source
AI summary
A method and mould system for manufacturing at least a root section of a wind turbine blade is described. The method and system utilise a mould inlay which is arranged on top of a mould surface of a mould part so as to change the radius of curvature of the mould part and thereby also the diameter of a root section manufactured via the mould part and mould inlay. Further, blades manufactured via the method and mould system are described.