Segmented Wind Turbine Blade Beam for Load Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wind turbine blades face failure due to high line loads concentrated on narrow beams made from high-stiffness composite materials, which are costly and challenging to arrange, leading to stress concentration and potential failure when loads are released to less stiff shell components.
Innovation Solution
A beam for wind turbine blades featuring recessed longitudinal end sections that separate into multiple adjacent beam portions, allowing for efficient load transfer and increased flexibility, made from composite materials like carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, with recesses designed to distribute line loads effectively and reduce the risk of failure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If narrow beams made from high-stiffness composite materials (carbon fiber-reinforced plastic) are used to reinforce wind turbine blades, then the overall stiffness of the blade is improved, but high line loads are concentrated on the beam ends which may cause failure of the blade
Solution Approach 1:
The beam end is divided into multiple longitudinal beam portions separated by longitudinal recesses. This segmentation distributes the concentrated line loads from the narrow beam into multiple smaller load paths that are transferred to the shell, reducing the stress concentration that would otherwise cause blade failure while maintaining the overall stiffness provided by the high-stiffness composite material
Solution Approach 2:
The beam end is extended in the width direction by forming multiple longitudinal beam portions that span across the shell. This dimensional extension transforms the concentrated line load into a distributed load pattern, increasing the load transfer area and reducing stress concentration at any single point on the shell
2Strength
If expensive high-stiffness composite materials (carbon fiber-reinforced plastic) are used for beams, then the stiffness and load-bearing capacity are improved, but the manufacturing cost and arrangement complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The beam is segmented into multiple longitudinal portions that can be manufactured separately and then assembled by attaching them to the longitudinal mid-section. This segmentation allows for simplified manufacturing of each portion while achieving the required overall load-bearing capacity through the combined structure
Solution Approach 2:
The beam structure is made adaptable to different blade designs and loading conditions by allowing the number, arrangement, and dimensions of the longitudinal beam portions to be adjusted. This dynamic design flexibility enables optimization of both manufacturing ease and load-bearing capacity for specific applications
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a beam (40) for a wind turbine blade (10) of a wind turbine (1), whereby the beam (40) is made from a composite material comprising a matrix and a reinforcement. The beam (40) comprises at least one recessed longitudinal end section (44, 45) in which the beam (40) comprises at least one longitudinal recess (41) arranged in a longitudinal direction (L) or substantially a longitudinal direction (L) of the beam (40) extending from a longitudinal mid-section (43) of the beam (40) to a longitudinal end (46, 47) of the beam (40), so that the at least one longitudinal recess (41) separates the beam (40) into adjacent longitudinal beam portions (42), whereby the longitudinal beam portions (42) are attached to the longitudinal mid-section (43).