Elastomeric Coated Foam Rotor Blade Components
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing rotor blade components for wind turbines are time-consuming due to cure times and result in brittle, heavy fiberglass parts that are not flexible enough to move with the blades, necessitating the need for alternative manufacturing techniques that can produce lightweight, flexible, and durable components efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a mold coated with elastomeric material, where impletion material is inserted to reduce internal volume, followed by foam insertion and curing, allowing the rotor blade component to be removed with an elastomeric cover skin, which can be further coated for additional durability and flexibility, using support members and porous materials to enhance mechanical properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If fiberglass composite material is used for rotor blade components, then structural strength is improved, but weight increases and flexibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure combining foam core material with elastomeric coating to create a lightweight yet strong component. The foam provides structural strength while the elastomeric coating adds flexibility and durability, resolving the contradiction between strength and weight by using materials with different density-to-strength ratios.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the material by using foam with specific density and elasticity properties, then coating it with elastomeric material. This parameter change transforms the material from rigid and heavy to lightweight and flexible, allowing the component to move with the rotor blade without excessive weight.
2Strength
If fiberglass composite material is used for rotor blade components, then structural strength is improved, but flexibility to move with blades deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines foam core material with elastomeric coating to create a composite structure that is both strong and flexible. The foam provides structural integrity while the elastomeric coating gives the material the flexibility needed to move with the rotor blade during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the mechanical properties of the material by selecting foam with appropriate elasticity and coating it with elastomeric material. This parameter change enables the component to flex and move with the rotor blade while maintaining structural strength.
3Manufacturing precision
If conventional RTM process is used for manufacturing, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to cure time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a disposable elastomeric coating that is applied and then removed after the foam cures. This eliminates the need for expensive, time-consuming RTM molds and curing processes, significantly improving productivity while maintaining component precision through the elastomeric form factor.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the curing process from the manufacturing method by using foam that cures independently of the mold. The elastomeric coating is applied, the foam is inserted and cures in place, then the coating is removed. This separation of curing from molding eliminates the time-consuming RTM cure time and improves 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 enables the rapid and efficient production of lightweight, flexible, and strong rotor blade components that can flex with the blades during operation, reducing stress on the mold and improving handling and installation, while maintaining structural integrity.
Implementation Method 1
the elastomeric material forms a cover skin around at least a portion of the rotor blade component
Implementation Method 2
inserting a foam material within the mold
Data Source
AI summary
Methods of manufacturing rotor blade components for a wind turbine and rotor blade components produced in accordance with such methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method generally includes providing a mold of the rotor blade component; coating at least a portion of an interior surface of the mold with an elastomeric material; inserting impletion material within the mold so as to at least partially reduce an open internal volume within the mold; inserting a foam material within the mold; and, removing the rotor blade component from the mold, wherein the elastomeric material forms a cover skin around at least a portion of the rotor blade component. In an alternative embodiment, the method includes providing at least one support member defining a profile for the rotor blade component on a mold surface; coating at least a portion of the support member with an elastomeric material; and, allowing the elastomeric material to cure on the mold surface so as to form the rotor blade component.