Preform Building Element Heating for Binder Migration Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing of preform building elements for wind turbine blades faces challenges due to uneven thermal conductivity of textiles and core materials, leading to poor adhesion between layers and prolonged cycle times, as binder migration varies significantly across different thicknesses and positions, affecting the handling and integration of preform elements.
Innovation Solution
A method involving heat input reduction means, such as heat shields, reflective foils, and air flow separation, is used to manage heat distribution and reduce binder migration, ensuring even temperature distribution and adhesion across varying thicknesses and types of components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If uniform heating is applied to the component stack, then the heating process is simple, but binder migration varies significantly across different thicknesses leading to poor adhesion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by introducing heat shields or reflective barriers at specific locations (edge areas or thinner sections) of the component stack. These local modifications create non-uniform heat distribution, reducing excessive heat input to areas that would otherwise experience too much binder migration, while maintaining sufficient heating in thicker central areas. This resolves the contradiction by making the heating process locally adapted rather than globally uniform.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces heat shields and reflective barriers as intermediary elements between the heat source and the component stack. These intermediaries modify the heat transfer path, reflecting or blocking excessive heat from reaching certain areas of the stack. This mediator approach allows uniform heating application while achieving non-uniform heat distribution to control binder migration uniformly across varying thicknesses.
2Productivity
If heating temperature is increased to reduce cycle time, then productivity improves, but binder migration increases causing poor adhesion in thinner sections
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by positioning heat shields or reflective barriers specifically in edge areas or thinner sections of the component stack. This allows the overall heating temperature to be increased for productivity while locally reducing heat input to prevent excessive binder migration in vulnerable areas. The local modification enables higher temperatures without sacrificing adhesion quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by placing heat shields or reflective barriers before the heating process begins. These pre-positioned elements proactively prevent excessive binder migration in thinner sections before it can occur, allowing the system to operate at higher temperatures for reduced cycle time without compromising adhesion quality in vulnerable areas.
3Manufacturing precision
If heating time is extended to improve adhesion, then manufacturing precision improves, but cycle time increases reducing productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by introducing heat shields or reflective barriers at specific locations to create non-uniform heat distribution. This allows shorter overall heating times while ensuring adequate adhesion in thinner edge areas, as these locations receive reduced heat input that prevents excessive binder migration. The thicker central areas receive sufficient heat during the shortened cycle, achieving both improved precision and productivity.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the component stack has varying thicknesses, then adaptability to different blade positions is improved, but uneven binder migration occurs leading to poor adhesion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by positioning heat shields or reflective barriers specifically in edge areas or thinner sections of the component stack. This local modification creates non-uniform heat distribution that compensates for the varying thicknesses, reducing excessive heat input to thinner areas to prevent binder migration while maintaining sufficient heating in thicker areas. This enables the system to handle varying thicknesses for different blade positions while achieving uniform adhesion quality.
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 approach enhances adhesion between preform components, reduces cycle times, and allows for the fabrication of preform building elements with varying thicknesses and compositions, improving the efficiency and scalability of the manufacturing process.
Implementation Method 1
reflective foils
Implementation Method 2
heat shields
Implementation Method 3
air flow separation
Implementation Method 4
heating means for heating the component stack
Implementation Method 5
capillary action
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~5
Figure 6~7
AI summary
Method for manufacturing a preform building element used for building a rotor blade of a wind turbine, wherein a plurality of components (10) is arranged at least partly overlappingly in a component stack (3) on a surface (4) of a carrier (2), wherein the component stack (3) comprises a plurality of sections (13) with overlapping components (10) between which a binding agent is arranged, wherein the sections (13) of the stack (3) comprise at least partly a different thickness and/or different types of components (10), wherein the component stack (3) is heated using a heating means for activating the binding agent, wherein during the heating, at least one heat input reduction means (14) is used to reduce the heat input in the binding agent in at least one of the sections (13) of the component stack (13) for reducing binding agent migration during the activation.