Fiber Composite Repair Patch Matching Original Properties
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for repairing fibre composite solid members, such as moulds for wind turbine blades, are inefficient, skill-dependent, and difficult to ensure consistent geometry and thermal properties, leading to prolonged downtime and variable repair quality.
Innovation Solution
A method involving machining a recess in the deteriorated area, applying a repair patch with matching thickness and shape, and fastening it using a binder material, ensuring the repair patch's elastic and thermal properties align with the original surface, either through vacuum-assisted resin infusion or gluing, with optional additional reinforcing fibres to control thickness and binding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual grinding and polishing is used to repair the mould surface, then the desired surface quality can be obtained, but the repair process becomes difficult and highly dependent on operator skills
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical grinding and polishing operations with a automated repair patch application system. The repair patch is pre-manufactured with controlled geometry and properties, eliminating the need for operator-dependent manual surface finishing while maintaining high surface quality standards.
Solution Approach 2:
The repair patch is pre-manufactured with the desired final geometry, thickness, and surface properties before application to the mould. This preliminary preparation of the repair material eliminates the need for post-application grinding and polishing, reducing operator skill dependence while ensuring consistent surface quality.
2Strength
If excess material is added to the repaired area to ensure sufficient thickness, then the mechanical strength is improved, but additional grinding and polishing is required to achieve the desired surface geometry
Solution Approach 1:
The repair patch is pre-manufactured with the exact final thickness and geometry required, eliminating the need to add excess material. This precise preliminary fabrication ensures both adequate mechanical strength and correct surface geometry without requiring subsequent material removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent controls the thickness and geometry parameters of the repair patch during its manufacturing process rather than adjusting them after application. By precisely controlling these parameters in advance, the repair patch achieves both sufficient mechanical strength and accurate surface geometry simultaneously.
3Productivity
If multiple moulds are maintained to ensure spare availability, then the production continuity is improved, but the storage space and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the repair function from the mould itself and applies it as a separate, removable repair patch. This allows the original mould to be quickly restored to service without requiring backup moulds, maintaining production continuity while minimizing storage space requirements for spare moulds.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of maintaining expensive spare moulds in storage, the patent uses disposable or reusable repair patches that can be applied and removed as needed. This approach recovers the mould's functionality through patches rather than requiring duplicate moulds, reducing storage space while maintaining productivity.
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 method reduces downtime, minimizes skill dependence, and ensures consistent mechanical and thermal properties, achieving a high-quality repair with reduced storage needs for pre-manufactured patches.
Implementation Method 1
fastening the repair patch to the solid member by use of a binder material
Implementation Method 2
applying heat to cure the repair patch
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method of repairing a fiber composite solid member having a locally deteriorated surface area, such as having cracks or creases. The solid member may e.g. be a mold for the manufacturing of wind turbine blades or such blades. The method comprises machining a surface section comprising the locally deteriorated surface area in order to obtain a recess having a predefined depth and circumferential shape, placing a repair patch having a predefined thickness and circumferential shape matching the recess in the recess, and fastening the repair patch to the solid member by use of a binder material. At least some of the elastic and thermal properties of the repair patch and the binder material are so that after fastening, the repair patch and the binder material in combination have elastic and thermal properties which are substantially the same as the corresponding properties of the surface section before machining.