Rotor Blade Half-Shell Assembly With Wedge Tolerance Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The positioning of spar caps and core material in wind turbine rotor blade manufacturing is not repeatable, leading to time-consuming manual adjustments due to high tolerance requirements and small gaps between these components.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the use of wedge-shaped tolerance compensation elements that interact in a form-fit manner with corresponding counter wedge-shaped portions to allow for slight relative movement during placement, eliminating the need for manual adjustments and ensuring precise alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional core elements and spar caps are arranged in the mold, then the structural components are positioned, but manufacturing tolerances and misalignments cause gaps and require time-consuming manual adjustments
Solution Approach 1:
The core element incorporates a wedge-shaped tolerance compensation portion that changes the geometric parameters of the core element to accommodate misalignments. The wedge shape allows for adjustable positioning by sliding the core element relative to the spar cap, transforming the rigid fixed-position arrangement into a flexible adjustable arrangement that compensates for manufacturing tolerances
Solution Approach 2:
The tolerance compensation element introduces dynamic adjustability to the previously static arrangement of core elements and spar caps. The wedge-shaped portion can slide along the spar cap during mold closing, allowing the system to adapt to misalignments dynamically rather than requiring precise pre-positioning
2Manufacturing precision
If strict tolerance requirements are enforced for spar cap and core material positioning, then alignment precision is improved, but the complexity of manual adjustments and refinements increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wedge-shaped tolerance compensation portion enables self-alignment between the core element and spar cap. During mold closing, the wedge shape automatically compensates for misalignments through sliding movement, eliminating the need for operators to perform complex manual positioning adjustments and refinements
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention concerns a method of manufacturing a half shell (134) of a wind turbine rotor blade (110), the method comprising the steps: - providing a mould (148), - arranging an outer shell laminate (150) into the mould (148), - arranging a three spar caps (138, 140, 142) onto the outer shell laminate (150), wherein -- the second spar cap (140) is arranged between the first spar cap (138) and the third spar cap (142), -- the third spar cap (142) is positioned at an outermost trailing edge (144), and core elements (154) are arranged between the first spar cap (138) and the second spar cap (140) and/or between the second spar cap (140) and the third spar cap (142) and/or between the first spar cap (138) and the third spar cap (142), wherein at least one of the core elements (154) is a tolerance compensation element (156) that comprises a wedge-formed portion (158) and interacts in a form-fit manner with a corresponding counter wedge-formed portion (160). The invention also refers to a wind turbine rotor blade (110) .