Segmented Wind Turbine Blade Spars with Interleaved Planks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Long wind turbine blades are heavy, inefficient, and difficult to manufacture and transport, posing challenges in energy production and assembly due to their significant inertia and structural demands.
Innovation Solution
The use of layered, multi-component spars in wind turbine blades, where segments are connected with interleaved planks and bonded at spar joints to form a lightweight and efficient structure, allowing for the integration of different materials to optimize weight and strength distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If long wind turbine blades are used to produce energy more efficiently, then energy production efficiency is improved, but the blade weight increases and inertia increases, reducing efficiency at low wind conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The blade is divided into multiple segments that can be manufactured separately and assembled together. The spar is divided into multiple spar segments that are joined at spar joints, allowing each segment to be optimized independently for weight and strength requirements, reducing overall blade weight while maintaining length for efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The spar structure uses composite materials with different properties distributed throughout the spar segments. Different materials are selected for different regions of the spar to optimize the weight-strength ratio, allowing long blades to maintain structural integrity without excessive weight.
2Productivity
If long wind turbine blades are used to produce energy more efficiently, then energy production efficiency is improved, but manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blade and spar are segmented into multiple manageable sections that can be manufactured using standard fabrication facilities. Each spar segment can be manufactured independently using consistent processes, then assembled through standardized joint connections, reducing manufacturing complexity while enabling long blade designs.
3Productivity
If long wind turbine blades are used to produce energy more efficiently, then energy production efficiency is improved, but transportation difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blade is divided into transportable segments that can be moved using existing transportation infrastructure. The segmented spar structure allows each section to be transported separately and assembled on-site, overcoming transportation limitations while maintaining the long blade design for improved energy production.
4Ease of manufacture
If segmented spars with spar joints are used to reduce blade weight and simplify transportation, then ease of transportation is improved, but structural reliability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The spar segments are pre-assembled and pre-tested before final blade assembly. The joint design incorporates preliminary reinforcement and alignment features that ensure proper connection, maintaining structural reliability while enabling segmented construction for easier transportation.
Solution Approach 2:
The spar joints use composite material connections that distribute loads across multiple interfaces. The interleaved plank arrangement at joints creates a mechanically interlocked structure with bonded connections, ensuring structural reliability matches or exceeds continuous spar designs while allowing segmentation for transportation.
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 configuration enhances the efficiency and reduces the weight of wind turbine blades, improving energy production, particularly at low wind conditions, while simplifying manufacturing and transportation by distributing loads effectively and reducing the likelihood of structural failures.
Implementation Method 1
The first plank is bonded to the second plank at the spar joint with an adhesive. The adhesive bond strength, the first plank shear strength, and the second plank shear strength are each sufficient to support the design loads applied to the wind turbine blade.
Data Source
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AI summary
Wind turbine blades with layered, multi-component spars, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. A wind turbine blade system in accordance with a particular embodiment includes a first blade segment having a first spar element that includes first planks having a first thickness and a first plank composition, and a second blade segment having a second spar element that includes second planks having a second thickness and a second plank composition different than the first plank composition. The second blade segment is joined to the first blade segment at a joint, and, in particular embodiments, an overall product of thickness and elastic modulus of the first planks is approximately equal to an overall product of thickness and elastic modulus for the second planks.