Wind Turbine Web Mold with Angled Flange and Abutment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing webs for wind turbine rotor blades face challenges in achieving optimal bonding due to limited access and manufacturing tolerances in large, complex structures, leading to difficulties in ensuring reliable assembly and structural integrity.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a production mold with angled surfaces and an abutment to support a pultruded profile and reinforcing fibers, allowing for the creation of a web section and flange section with a fiber composite material, which simplifies the production process and eliminates the need for additional pressure plates, enabling a stable and lightweight web with optimal adhesive connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If webs are bonded within a closed rotor blade structure, then the rotor blade can be assembled with integrated ribs and webs, but access to bonding points is severely limited and manufacturing precision becomes difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The flange section is pre-formed with integrated reinforcing fibers and bonding surfaces before being assembled into the rotor blade. This preliminary formation of the flange section with its bonding surfaces allows for precise bonding geometry to be established in advance, ensuring optimal bonding conditions are achieved even though the final bonding occurs within the closed rotor blade structure
Solution Approach 2:
The web is divided into distinct sections: a web section and a separately formed flange section with integrating reinforcing fibers. This segmentation allows the flange section to be prepared with optimal bonding characteristics independently, then assembled into the rotor blade structure where precise bonding can be achieved despite limited access
2Manufacturing precision
If additional pressure plates are used to apply bonding pressure, then bonding pressure can be distributed evenly, but the device complexity and number of components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flange section merges multiple functions into a single component: it provides the bonding surface for attaching the web to the rib, contains integrated reinforcing fibers for structural strength, and serves as the pressure application point during bonding. This merging eliminates the need for separate pressure plates while ensuring even pressure distribution through the integrated design
Solution Approach 2:
The flange section with its integrated reinforcing fibers is designed to self-support and self-align during the bonding process. The geometry of the flange section and the embedded reinforcing fibers automatically position the bonding surfaces correctly and distribute the bonding pressure evenly without requiring additional external pressure application devices
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 method facilitates the production of webs with improved assembly prerequisites and structural integrity, enhancing the reliability and simplicity of the web production process while maintaining the necessary strength and lightness for wind turbine rotor blades.
Implementation Method 1
The web (10) is constructed in a sandwich design from a core (40) and several layers of reinforcing fibers (34, 44, 38, 42).
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6a~6c
AI summary
A method for manufacturing a web (10) for a wind turbine rotor blade, wherein the web (10) comprises a web section (12) and a flange section (14) for connecting the web (10) to a chord (24) of the wind turbine rotor blade, and the method comprises the following steps: • providing a manufacturing mold (26) having a first mold surface (28) for the web section (12), a second mold surface (30) for the flange section (14), and an abutment, wherein the second mold surface (30) is arranged at an angle α to the first mold surface (28) and the abutment is opposite the second mold surface (30), • arranging a first layer (34) of reinforcing fibers in the manufacturing mold (26) such that a first partial surface of the first layer (34) is arranged on the first mold surface (28) and a second partial surface of the first layer (34) is arranged on the second mold surface (30), • arranging a pultruded profile (44,56) in the manufacturing form (26),such that a top surface (50) of the pultruded profile (44, 56) faces the second mold surface (30) and the second partial surface of the first layer (34) is arranged between the top surface (50) and the second mold surface (30), • supporting the pultruded profile (44, 56) on the abutment, • embedding the pultruded profile (44, 56) and the reinforcing fibers in a plastic material, • removing the finished web (10) from the manufacturing mold (26), wherein the web section (12) has the first partial surface of the first layer (34) and the flange section (14) has the pultruded profile (44, 56).