Wind Turbine Spar Cap Connection Piece for Dissimilar Sections
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge lies in assembling wind turbine blades composed of sections made from different materials and manufacturing techniques, particularly incompatibilities between high-performance tip sections and other components, which affect the structural integrity and require efficient, straightforward on-site connections to ensure bending strength and stiffness.
Innovation Solution
A spar cap connection piece that adapts to different cross-sectional shapes and materials by varying its size, shape, and microstructure, with a double scarf component for enhanced bonding, allowing for precise assembly and compatibility between disparate sections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If high-performance materials and high quality production techniques are used to produce tip sections, then the quality and performance of the blade tip is improved, but the compatibility with other blade sections made of different materials becomes problematic
Solution Approach 1:
A connection piece is introduced as an intermediary component between the high-performance tip section and other blade sections. This connection piece has a first end configured to connect to the tip section and a second end configured to connect to other blade sections, thereby mediating the incompatibility between different materials and manufacturing techniques while maintaining the quality benefits of high-performance materials
Solution Approach 2:
The connection piece is designed with different properties at different locations: the first end has characteristics matched to the high-performance tip section while the second end has characteristics matched to other blade sections. This local differentiation allows the single component to bridge incompatible materials and manufacturing methods across the blade assembly
2Ease of operation
If wind turbine blades are produced in multiple sections to be assembled on-site, then the ease of transport and manufacturing control is improved, but the complexity of ensuring structural integrity across different materials and manufacturing techniques increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connection piece serves as a standardized intermediary component that simplifies the assembly process while ensuring structural integrity. By providing a pre-designed connection interface with appropriate material transitions and bonding surfaces, it reduces the complexity of joining different blade sections made by different manufacturers with different materials
Solution Approach 2:
The connection piece incorporates gradual transitions in material composition, fiber orientation, and structural parameters between its two ends. This parameter changes approach allows the connection piece to bridge different materials and manufacturing techniques while maintaining bending strength and stiffness requirements across the joint
3Adaptability or versatility
If spar caps are tapered in the vicinity of the joint to accommodate different cross-sectional shapes, then the adaptability to different section geometries is improved, but the additional mass and structural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The connection piece incorporates localized tapered portions only where geometric adaptation is necessary to match different spar cap cross-sections, while maintaining uniform thickness and properties in the central region. This minimizes the overall mass increase while providing the necessary geometric adaptability at the connection interfaces
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5A~5B
AI summary
The present invention relates to a wind turbine blade 40 comprising first and second adjacent blade sections arranged end to end along the length of the blade. Each section comprises an aerodynamic fairing and a spar 10,11 extending along the length of the section. Each spar 10,11 comprises a shear web extending across the fairing and a pair of spar caps 14, one at either end of the shear web. Each spar cap 14 in the first section has a different cross-sectional shape and/or material from the respective spar cap 14 in the second section and wherein the spar cap 14 in the first section is joined to the respective spar cap 14 in the second section via a connection piece 20. Each connection piece 20 is a pre-cured component extending along the length of the blade 40 from a first inclined end 24 configured to connect to a first complimentary inclined end of a spar cap 14 of the first blade section and a second inclined end 32 configured to connect to a second complimentary inclined end of a spar cap 14 of the second blade section. The cross-sectional shape and/or material varies along the length of the connection piece 20 so as to be compatible at either end with the adjacent spar cap 14.