Segmented Wind Turbine Blade Mold for Lower Hall Height
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wind turbine blade manufacturing molds require heavy upper mold components that necessitate high-capacity cranes and tall production halls, limiting the size of blades that can be manufactured and increasing costs.
Innovation Solution
A mold design with split upper mold parts that can be moved sideways and/or rotated, reducing the need for high-capacity cranes and allowing for lower production hall heights, featuring a movable and rotatable connection between the upper and lower mold components, and incorporating guide rails and actuators for easy operation and reduced material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single-piece upper mold component is used, then the mold cavity can be properly formed and sealed, but the weight increases requiring high-capacity cranes and tall production halls
Solution Approach 1:
The upper mold component is divided into multiple segmented upper mold parts (first upper mold part and second upper mold part) that can be separately handled and positioned. Each segment has reduced weight compared to a single-piece component, allowing the use of lower-capacity cranes and reducing floor-to-ceiling height requirements while maintaining the ability to form a complete sealed mold cavity when assembled
2Strength
If the upper mold component is made tall for structural stiffness, then sufficient structural stiffness is achieved, but the floor-to-ceiling height requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The upper mold component is segmented into multiple parts that can be assembled in a compact configuration. The segmented structure maintains structural stiffness through proper connection mechanisms between segments while having a reduced overall height footprint, thereby lowering the floor-to-ceiling height requirement of the production hall
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of increasing height to achieve structural stiffness, the mold design uses horizontal expansion through multiple segments arranged side-by-side. The segments work together in a distributed manner to provide the required structural rigidity without increasing the vertical dimension, thus reducing floor-to-ceiling height requirements
3Strength
If a heavy upper mold component is used, then sufficient structural stiffness is achieved, but crane capacity requirements and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The upper mold component is divided into multiple lighter segments that can be handled by lower-capacity cranes. The segments are equipped with connection mechanisms that allow them to be assembled into a structurally stiff complete mold cavity, achieving the required strength without needing a single heavy component that would require expensive high-capacity crane equipment
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
The solution decreases crane requirements and production hall height, enabling the manufacture of larger blades with reduced material costs and operational complexity, while maintaining vacuum integrity during resin infusion.
Implementation Method 1
a mold for manufacturing a wind turbine blade comprises a lower mold component, and an upper mold component, wherein the lower mold component and the upper mold component form a mold cavity in the shape of a wind turbine blade
Implementation Method 2
vacuum is applied and a curable resin-like matrix is injected via a filling pipe
Data Source
AI summary
A mold for manufacturing a wind turbine blade, including: a lower mold component, and an upper mold component, wherein the lower mold component and the upper mold component form a mold cavity in the shape of a wind turbine blade, and the upper mold component includes at least two upper mold parts is provided. The required floor-to-ceiling height of a production hall is decreased and the required lifting capacity of a crane is lowered.