Segmented Wind Turbine Spar Beam Assembly Without Mandrel Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing of male spar beams for segmented wind turbine blades is challenging due to the difficulty in removing rigid mandrels, potential defects from misaligned fibre material, and the complexity of accessing interior surfaces, leading to increased costs and defects.
Innovation Solution
The male spar beam is designed with separately manufactured leading-edge and trailing-edge parts, which are moulded in open moulds without a mandrel, allowing for easier inspection and assembly, reducing defects and complexity, and incorporating joints at the centre of spar caps to minimize shear stresses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid mandrel is used in the mould, then dimensional stability is improved, but removal difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mandrel is designed with collapsible walls that can change their structural state from rigid during moulding to collapsed during removal. The walls include inwardly directed flanges that, when collapsed, create clearance between the mandrel and the hollow interior space, enabling easy removal without damaging the spar beam.
2Manufacturing precision
If fibre material is precisely arranged around the mandrel, then manufacturing precision is improved, but the risk of defects increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fibre material is arranged in a pre-form before being placed in the mould. This preliminary shaping allows precise positioning to be achieved more easily and reduces the risk of unintended movement during the moulding process, thereby lowering defect risk while maintaining manufacturing precision.
3Manufacturing precision
If a flow media layer is added between fibre material and mandrel, then wetting quality is improved, but post-moulding complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flow media layer is designed as a temporary component that is discarded after serving its purpose during infusion. After the mandrel is removed, the flow media layer is easily detached and discarded, eliminating the need for complex recovery or reuse processes while ensuring sufficient wetting during manufacturing.
4Strength
If the male spar beam is manufactured as a single piece, then structural strength is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The male spar beam is divided into multiple separate components: a mandrel with collapsible walls and reinforcement elements. These segments are manufactured separately and then assembled in the mould, allowing each component to be optimized for its specific function while reducing overall manufacturing complexity.
5Quantity of substance
If the mandrel walls are made thin, then material usage is reduced, but structural stability during moulding decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The mandrel walls are designed with a dynamic structure including inwardly directed flanges that can transition from an extended stable configuration during moulding to a collapsed configuration during removal. This dynamic design allows thin-walled construction that uses less material while maintaining structural stability when needed.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3c
AI summary
A male spar beam for mutually attaching a segmented wind turbine blade and, comprising: a leading- edge part comprising a second upper wall, a second lower wall, and a second shear wall connecting the second upper wall with the second lower wall, the leading-edge part; and a trailing-edge part comprising a first upper wall, a first lower wall, and a first shear wall connecting the first upper wall with the first lower wall. The leading-edge and trailing-edge parts being separately formed integrally in one piece, respectively. An end of the first lower wall is attached to an end of the second lower wall so that the first lower wall and the second lower wall form a lower spar cap of the male spar beam, and an end of the first upper wall is attached to an end of the second upper wall so that the first upper wall and the second upper wall form an upper spar cap of the male spar beam.