Modular Wind Turbine Blade Joints for Transportable Structural Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge of manufacturing large-scale wind turbine blades with composite materials is the difficulty in controlling blade quality due to sensitive production conditions, leading to overweight structures that are unstable during operation, especially in remote areas with poor transportation conditions.
Innovation Solution
A modular wind turbine blade design comprising multiple blade modules with load-bearing beams and bearing webs, integrated with a shell structure, and connection structures using connecting pieces and mortise-tenon joints to ensure stability and reduce weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If segmented blade structure is adopted to enable transportation in remote areas, then transportation feasibility is improved, but blade structural stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The blade is divided into multiple modular segments that can be transported separately to remote locations and then assembled together on-site. This segmentation enables transportation feasibility in areas with poor infrastructure while maintaining the ability to form a complete functional blade structure through standardized connection interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular blade segments are designed with nested connection structures where connection components are integrated within the blade segments themselves. The connection structures include nested beams and bearing webs that fit together to form a unified load-bearing system, ensuring structural stability after assembly.
2Power
If blade size is increased to improve power generation, then power generation capacity is improved, but blade weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the blade are designed with locally optimized structures and materials. The blade uses varying thickness and material composition along its length, with heavier reinforcement only where structurally necessary, rather than uniformly increasing weight throughout the entire blade to accommodate larger size for higher power generation.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade employs composite material construction that provides high strength-to-weight ratio, enabling larger blade dimensions for increased power generation capacity without proportionally increasing blade weight. The composite structure allows for optimized material distribution that maintains structural integrity while minimizing mass.
3Strength
If modular structure with load-bearing beams and bearing webs is adopted, then blade structural performance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The load-bearing beams and bearing webs are merged into an integrated modular assembly that functions as a unified structural unit. This integration reduces the number of separate components that need to be managed and assembled, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining high structural performance through the combined load-bearing system.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a modular wind turbine blade and connection structure thereof. The blade module includes a shell and a load-bearing beam and a bearing web provided therein. The load-bearing beam comprises a connecting beam, an auxiliary beam plate, a trailing edge beam, and a T-shaped beam. The connecting beam is provided on both sides of the middle portion, the trailing edge beam is embedded at the edge of the trailing edge portion, the auxiliary beam plate is provided in a plurality along the circumferential direction of the blade, and the T-shaped beam is connected to two adjacent auxiliary beam plates respectively. The load-bearing beam is fitted with the shell, and a support frame formed by the load-bearing beam in conjunction with the bearing web conforms to the contour shape of the blade.