Inflatable Mandrel for Wind Turbine Blade Composite Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mandrels for producing fibre-reinforced composite parts, especially large wind turbine blades, are difficult to remove after the casting process due to their rigid and solid nature, leading to handling challenges and deformation during curing, and require excessive flexible material which complicates storage and increases the risk of fibre material pinching between mould parts.
Innovation Solution
A mandrel with an expandable body made of deformable material, such as rubber or coated woven material, that can be inflated to form the desired shape and then collapsed for easy removal and storage, using air-tight chambers and a foldable framework to maintain rigidity and adjustability during the curing process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid and solid dorn is used to support fibre material, then the fibre material is supported in a predefined position and shape, but the dorn is difficult to withdraw after the casting process
Solution Approach 1:
The dorn is designed with an expandable body that can change its state from expanded to collapsed. During the casting process, the dorn is in an expanded state to provide stable shape support. After casting, the dorn can be collapsed to reduce its volume and facilitate easy removal through the small opening at the blade root.
2Ease of operation
If the dorn comprises a high amount of flexible material to enable withdrawal, then the dorn can be removed more easily, but the flexible material may inappropriately deform during the casting process
Solution Approach 1:
The dorn transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic structure that can expand and collapse. The expandable body maintains rigidity in the expanded state during casting to ensure shape precision, then collapses to a compact state for easy removal, eliminating the need for excessive flexible material.
Solution Approach 2:
The dorn's physical state is changed from a fixed rigid structure to a variable structure that can expand and collapse. This parameter change allows the dorn to provide stable support during casting when expanded, and then be easily removed when collapsed, resolving the contradiction between shape stability and removal ease.
3Ease of operation
If a dorn with a solid core and huge amount of flexible material is used, then the dorn can be withdrawn, but the dorn is difficult to handle during storage
Solution Approach 1:
The dorn is designed as an expandable body that can collapse to a compact state. This dynamic capability allows the dorn to be easily stored in a collapsed state, significantly reducing its volume and handling complexity, while still providing the necessary support function when expanded during the casting process.
4Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid and solid dorn is used for large sized blades, then the fibre material is supported stably, but the dorn is difficult to withdraw through the small opening at the blade root
Solution Approach 1:
The dorn is designed with an expandable body that can be collapsed to a compact state. During casting of large blades, the dorn is expanded to provide stable shape support. After casting, the dorn is collapsed to fit through the small opening at the blade root, enabling easy removal without compromising the stability provided during the casting process.
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
Enables efficient production and easy removal of fibre-reinforced composite parts by maintaining shape stability during curing and reducing the risk of fibre material pinching, while allowing for efficient storage due to the collapsible design, thus improving handling and reducing material deformation issues.
Implementation Method 1
The expandable body is expandable in an expanded state, wherein in the expanded state the outer surface forms an interior shape of the fibre-reinforced composite part to be produced
Implementation Method 2
using air-tight chambers and a foldable framework to maintain rigidity and adjustability during the curing process
Data Source
AI summary
A mandrel for producing a fiber-reinforced composite part, in particular a blade for a wind turbine is disclosed. The mandrel includes an expandable body with an outer surface onto which a fiber material of the fiber-reinforced composite part is layable out. The expandable body is expandable in an expanded state, wherein in the expanded state the outer surface forms an interior shape of the fiber-reinforced composite part to be produced. Moreover, the expandable body is collapsible in a collapsed state.