Wind Turbine Blade Shear Web Positioning Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Accurate positioning of guide blocks on wind turbine blade inner surfaces is challenging due to their tendency to obscure projected light, leading to potential misalignment and incorrect bonding of shear webs.
Innovation Solution
A web locating device with a base and guide structures, featuring alignment features like apertures and inclined guide surfaces, ensures precise alignment and positioning of shear webs by minimizing obstruction and allowing accurate alignment with projected reference features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If guide blocks are attached to inner surfaces of half-shells to locate shear webs, then positioning assistance is provided, but the guide blocks obscure projected light making accurate alignment difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the guiding function from the guide blocks themselves and transfers it to the shear web mounting process. The guide blocks are removed, and instead, alignment features on the shear web mounting plate work with projected templates to achieve positioning, eliminating the obstruction problem while maintaining guidance functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces alignment features (such as apertures or reference marks) on the shear web mounting plate as an intermediary element. These features interact with the projected templates to establish accurate positioning, serving as a mediator between the projection system and the shear web mounting process without requiring physical guide blocks in the light path.
2Ease of operation
If guide blocks are used to locate shear webs, then positioning is assisted, but inaccurate positioning can cause guide blocks to clash with shear webs preventing precise bonding
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the guide blocks that were causing clashes and positioning errors. Instead, it uses alignment features on the mounting plate combined with projected templates to achieve reliable positioning, eliminating the source of the reliability problem while preserving the locating function.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical guide block system with an optical alignment system using projected templates and alignment features. This substitution eliminates the mechanical clashes that occurred with guide blocks while providing more reliable positioning through optical reference.
3Measurement precision
If laser-projected templates are used to indicate shear web locations, then positioning guidance is provided, but the process becomes complex requiring additional alignment features and procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the alignment features directly into the shear web mounting plate, combining the positioning reference and the mounting function into a single integrated component. This reduces the overall system complexity by eliminating separate guide blocks and additional alignment procedures, while maintaining high positioning precision through the integrated design.
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
The device ensures accurate and precise positioning of shear webs, preventing misalignment and ensuring strong bonds between shear webs and blade shells, enhancing the manufacturing process and blade integrity.
Implementation Method 1
it is known to laser-project predefined templates across the inner surfaces of the half-shells. These templates indicate the locations at which the shear webs are to be bonded.
Data Source
AI summary
A web locating device for locating a shear web at a predefined location on an inner surface of a wind turbine blade shell is described. The base comprises a base and a first guide structure. The base is for securing to the inner surface of the blade shell at a predefined position on the inner surface and the first guide structure projects from the base. The first guide structure has a first guide surface arranged to guide a mounting portion of the shear web towards the predefined location on the inner surface of the wind turbine blade shell. The base of the device includes one or more alignment features for aligning with one or more reference features at the predefined position on the inner surface of the blade shell. Also described are a wind turbine blade, and a method of making a wind turbine blade.