Modular Rotor Blade with Pre-Formed Flanges
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wind turbine rotor blades face issues such as bond-line failures, complex and labor-intensive manufacturing, and alignment challenges in segmented blade assembly, leading to increased costs and susceptibility to defects.
Innovation Solution
The development of modular wind turbine rotor blades utilizing a pre-formed, continuous structural component with a flatback portion and flanges for mounting blade segments, eliminating the need for complex scarf joints and enhancing buckling resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If rotor blades are manufactured using conventional bonding methods with bonding paste, then the blade structure can be assembled, but bond-line failures occur frequently leading to catastrophic damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the bonding paste application step entirely by providing pre-formed protrusions on one blade half that directly engage with recesses on the other blade half. This extraction of the bonding process eliminates bond-line failures while simplifying the assembly procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade halves are equipped with self-aligning protrusions and recesses that automatically guide proper positioning during assembly. The interlocking geometry provides self-service alignment without requiring external alignment tools or complex bonding procedures.
2Ease of manufacture
If rotor blades are segmented for easier transportation, then shipping costs and handling complexity are reduced, but alignment of segments becomes time-consuming and complex interconnecting components are required
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor blade is divided into multiple transportable segments, each equipped with standardized protrusions and recesses that enable quick connection. This segmentation allows easy transportation while maintaining rapid assembly through simple interlocking.
Solution Approach 2:
The protrusions and recesses are pre-formed during blade segment manufacturing, eliminating the need for complex alignment procedures during assembly. The preliminary preparation of connection features enables rapid joining of segments without time-consuming alignment operations.
3Strength
If blade segments are connected using complex scarf joints, then structural integrity is maintained, but assembly time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex, time-consuming scarf joints with simple, quick-connect protrusion-recess interfaces. While maintaining sufficient structural integrity for transport and assembly, these simplified connectors enable rapid blade assembly without the labor-intensive procedures of traditional scarf joints.
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional molding processes are used for rotor blades, then manufacturing capability is established, but the processes are difficult to control and highly labor intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The blade is manufactured in separate segments using simplified molding processes, each with pre-formed connection features. This segmentation reduces the complexity of each individual molding operation while enabling precise control through standardized connection geometries that ensure proper assembly.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure is directed to a pre-formed, continuous structural component (52) for use in assembling a modular rotor blade (16) for a wind turbine (10). Further, the structural component (52) provides support to the modular rotor blade (16) during operation. The pre-formed structural component (52) includes a root portion (60) and a body portion (62). The root portion (60) is configured for mounting the structural component (52) to a blade root section (20) of the rotor blade (16). The body portion (62) is configured to extend in a generally span-wise direction. Further, the body portion (62) defines a predetermined cross-section having a flatback portion (64) with a first end (66) and a second end (68). In addition, the first and second ends (64, 66) each have a flange (70, 72) extending perpendicularly therefrom. Thus, each flange (70, 72) defines a mounting surface for one or more blade segments.