Wind Turbine Blade Trailing Edge Adhesive Bonding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wind turbine rotor blades face challenges in achieving sufficient stiffness, buckling resistance, and strength due to lightweight structural components, which often require excessive and costly bond paste, potentially leading to safety hazards from heat generation and material damage.
Innovation Solution
A rotor blade assembly with structural features secured within the blade and spaced apart from the trailing edge, filled with adhesive to form a fillet profile, using thermoset or thermoplastic materials reinforced with fibers, and optionally incorporating a compressible core material, to enhance bonding and reduce adhesive usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If conventional lightweight shell structures are used for rotor blades, then weight is reduced, but structural strength and stiffness are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite materials by combining lightweight shell structures with discrete structural reinforcements (spar caps, shear webs, and trailing edge structures) made from fiber-reinforced composites. This allows the blade to maintain low weight while achieving the necessary structural strength through the synergistic combination of different material components.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade structure is segmented into distinct functional components: lightweight pressure and suction shells, internal spar caps, shear webs, and trailing edge structures. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - shells for aerodynamics and weight, while internal structures provide localized strength where needed.
2Strength
If excessive bond paste is used to provide structural support at joints, then local buckling resistance is improved, but cost and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the structural support function from the bond paste by introducing dedicated structural components (spar caps, shear webs, and trailing edge structures) that provide mechanical support. This allows the adhesive to be used only for bonding purposes rather than structural reinforcement, significantly reducing adhesive quantity needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate structural elements (spar caps and shear webs) that act as mediators between the lightweight shells and the trailing edge. These intermediaries carry the structural loads, eliminating the need for excessive adhesive to provide structural support at the joints.
3Strength
If heavy and thick adhesive sections with fast curing adhesives are used, then bonding strength is improved, but heat generation and safety hazards increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the structural support function from the adhesive, allowing the use of thinner adhesive sections. This reduces the mass of adhesive that would generate heat during curing, while bonding strength is maintained through proper surface preparation and adhesive selection rather than relying on thick sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters of the adhesive joint by reducing thickness and optimizing the adhesive formulation. This allows for controlled curing with reduced exothermic heat generation while maintaining adequate bonding strength through proper joint design and material selection.
4Strength
If structural components are added to increase stiffness and buckling resistance, then structural performance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple structural functions into integrated components. For example, the trailing edge structure combines spar cap elements with shear web connections, and the structural features at the trailing edge serve both as bonding surfaces and as structural reinforcements. This integration reduces the number of separate components needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs structural features that perform multiple functions: the trailing edge structure serves as both a bonding surface for adhesive and a structural reinforcement element; the spar caps provide both bending resistance and serve as attachment points for other structural elements. This multi-functionality reduces overall structural complexity.
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 solution provides a robust adhesive connection and improved structural integrity, reducing the need for excessive adhesive and minimizing safety hazards while maintaining structural strength and stiffness, thus enhancing the performance and safety of wind turbine rotor blades.
Implementation Method 1
an adhesive filling the void between the pressure side, the suction side, and the trailing edge to provide an adhesive connection between the pressure side, the suction side, the trailing edge, and the structural feature(s)
Implementation Method 2
the structural feature(s) is constructed, at least in part, of a thermoset material or a thermoplastic material. In such embodiments, the thermoset material and/or the thermoplastic material may also be reinforced with one or more fiber materials
Implementation Method 3
the structural feature(s) may include a core material at least partially surrounded by at least one of the thermoset material or the thermoplastic material. In such embodiments, the core material may be compressible
Data Source
AI summary
A rotor blade assembly includes a rotor blade defining a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. Further, the rotor blade assembly includes at least one structural feature secured within the rotor blade and spaced apart from the trailing edge to define a void between the pressure side, the suction side, and the trailing edge. Moreover, the rotor blade assembly includes an adhesive filling the void between the pressure side, the suction side, and the trailing edge to provide an adhesive connection between the pressure side, the suction side, the trailing edge, and the structural feature(s). In addition, the adhesive contacts the structural feature(s) at an interface and defines a fillet profile.