Curved-Fold Heating Blanket for Wind Turbine Blade Edge Bonding
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing heating blankets for bonding protective shells to wind turbine blades are inefficient due to their rectangular shape, which causes wrinkles and excessive heat buildup at folds, potentially damaging the blades, especially at the tip region with complex geometry.
Innovation Solution
A heating blanket with a fold that curves to match the blade's edge curvature, featuring a heatable structure with adjustable zones and a vacuum seal for improved heat distribution, reducing the risk of thermal damage and ensuring a wrinkle-free fit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a rectangular heating blanket is used to bond a protective shell to the wind turbine blade tip, then the heating blanket can be applied to the blade surface, but it forms wrinkles and folded regions that cause excessive heat buildup and potential thermal damage to the blade
Solution Approach 1:
The heating blanket is designed with a curved fold that matches the curvature of the wind turbine blade edge, transforming the rectangular blanket into a contoured shape that conforms to the blade's double-curved geometry. This curvature adaptation eliminates wrinkles and folded regions, preventing excessive heat buildup and thermal damage while maintaining uniform heat distribution across the bonding area.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating blanket features a localized curved fold structure at specific regions that correspond to the blade's geometric features. This local adaptation allows the blanket to conform to the blade's complex geometry without requiring complete redesign of the entire blanket, thereby preventing thermal damage at critical areas while maintaining simplicity elsewhere.
2Area of stationary object
If a rectangular heating blanket is used to bond a protective shell to the wind turbine blade tip, then the heating blanket can cover the blade surface, but it requires additional fixation means like tape or plastic band to stay in place
Solution Approach 1:
The curved fold structure enables the heating blanket to conform to the blade's three-dimensional geometry, creating a snug fit that eliminates the need for additional fixation means. The blanket naturally stays in place through geometric compatibility rather than mechanical fastening, reducing device complexity while maintaining full coverage of the bonding area.
3Ease of manufacture
If the heating blanket is kept rectangular to simplify manufacturing, then the manufacturing process remains simple, but the blanket does not fit properly to the complex geometry of the blade tip edge
Solution Approach 1:
The heating blanket is divided into distinct segments: rectangular portions for simple manufacturing and a curved fold portion for geometric adaptation. This segmentation allows the majority of the blanket to be manufactured using simple rectangular cutting, while only a specific fold region requires additional shaping to match the blade's curvature, thereby maintaining ease of manufacture while achieving proper fit.
Solution Approach 2:
The complex curved geometry is localized to a specific fold region of the blanket rather than the entire blanket structure. This allows the majority of the blanket to maintain simple rectangular geometry for easy manufacturing, while only the local fold area requires contoured shaping to achieve proper fit to the blade's complex geometry.
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 secure, wrinkle-free fit and uniform heat distribution, reducing the risk of thermal damage to the wind turbine blades during the bonding process, enhancing the repair and protection of the leading edges.
Implementation Method 1
During heating of the adhesive used for the attachment of the erosion protective shell, excessive heat will build up in the folded regions
Implementation Method 2
a vacuum seal for improved heat distribution
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
Heating arrangement for bonding a protective shell to a wind turbine blade and method for bonding a protective shell to a wind turbine blade Heating arrangement for bonding a protective shell (17) to a wind turbine blade (1), comprising a heating blanket (9, 24, 42) with a first portion (11) and a second portion (12) of a heatable structure (10), wherein the first portion (11) and the second portion (12) adjoin at a fold (13) of the heating blanket (9, 24, 42), wherein the fold (13) is curved equally or substantially equally to a curvature of an edge of the wind turbine blade or of a segment of an edge of the wind turbine blade (1), wherein the heating blanket (9, 24, 42) is mountable to a surface of the wind turbine blade (1) in such manner that the fold (13) abuts the edge or the segment of the edge and that the first portion (11) and the second portion (12) each abuts the surface of the wind turbine blade (1).