Wind Turbine Rotor Blade Tip Clamp with Pivot Interface
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Solution Overview
Problem
The unwieldy shape and large dimensions of wind turbine rotor blades make transportation and storage challenging, requiring frequent orientation changes and secure handling to prevent damage, which is time-consuming and costly.
Innovation Solution
A blade tip clamp arrangement with a pivot connection interface allows for secure clamping of the rotor blade along its airfoil portion, enabling easy connection to wheeled transport means and supporting the blade in multiple orientations, reducing the need for frequent handling and re-attachment during transport and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the rotor blade is secured to holding or lifting means at multiple points along its length, then the blade can be securely transported and stored, but the connection procedures become time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp assembly is designed as a universal holding means that can securely attach to the rotor blade at different positions along its length. The clamp comprises a body with opposing jaws that can engage the blade surface, and it includes a pivot connection interface that enables it to connect to various wheeled transport means. This multi-functional design allows a single clamp type to serve multiple attachment points and different transport configurations, reducing the need for multiple specialized holding devices and thereby reducing connection time.
Solution Approach 2:
The clamp assembly incorporates a pivot connection interface that allows it to dynamically adapt to different orientations and positions during transport and storage. The pivot mechanism enables the clamp to rotate and adjust its angle relative to the blade and transport means, facilitating quick reconfiguration between different blade orientations (e.g., horizontal, vertical, angled) without requiring complete re-attachment procedures.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the rotor blade is changed orientation frequently during transport and storage, then it can be adapted to different transport modes and storage configurations, but the handling becomes more complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The pivot connection interface between the clamp assembly and wheeled transport means enables dynamic orientation changes. The pivot allows the clamp to rotate freely or in controlled increments, facilitating transitions between horizontal, vertical, and angled blade positions. This dynamic connection simplifies the handling process by allowing orientation changes without complex re-attachment procedures, reducing both device complexity and handling costs while maintaining high adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The holding system is segmented into independent clamp assemblies that can be positioned at different locations along the blade and operated independently. Each clamp can be adjusted and oriented separately, allowing flexible configuration for different transport modes and storage arrangements. This segmentation enables simplified handling of orientation changes compared to a monolithic holding system.
3Loss of time
If the rotor blade is supported in multiple orientations using the same holding means, then re-attachment is reduced, but the holding means must be more complex to accommodate different orientations
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp assembly is designed as a universal holding device that can support the rotor blade in multiple orientations (horizontal, vertical, angled) using the same basic clamp structure. The pivot connection interface and adjustable jaw mechanism allow the same clamp to adapt to different orientations without requiring orientation-specific clamp variants, thereby reducing re-attachment frequency while avoiding excessive complexity through standardized design.
Solution Approach 2:
The holding means incorporates dynamic elements including the pivot connection interface and adjustable jaw positions that enable the same clamp structure to accommodate multiple blade orientations. The pivot allows rotational adjustment, and the jaws can be positioned at different locations along the blade, providing orientation versatility without requiring complex fixed structures for each orientation.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention describes a blade tip clamp arrangement (1) realised to support a wind turbine rotor blade (2), which blade tip clamp arrangement (1) comprises at least a tip clamp assembly (10) realised to hold the rotor blade (2) along an airfoil portion (20) of the rotor blade (2); and a pivot connection interface (11) realised to pivotably connect the tip clamp assembly (10) to a wheeled transport means (3). The invention further describes a rotor blade transport and storage arrangement (5) realised for the storage and transport of a wind turbine rotor blade (2); and a method of handling a wind turbine rotor blade (2) during transport and storage.