Joint assembly for rotor blade segments of a wind turbine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10495058-B2
Application number	US-201715437776-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 21, 2017
Priority date	Feb 21, 2017
Publication date	Dec 3, 2019
Grant date	Dec 3, 2019

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine having a joint assembly securing first and second blade segments together. For example, the joint assembly releasably couples the first and second blade segments together at a chord-wise extending joint and includes at least one set of interlocking components. As such, the joint assembly is movable between a locked position and an unlocked position by engaging and disengaging the interlocking components. Thus, in the locked position, the first and second blade segments are secured together via the interlocking components, and movement from the locked position to the unlocked position, releases the interlocking components, thereby releasing the first and second blade segments from each other.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine, the rotor blade assembly comprising:
a first blade segment;
a second blade segment aligned in an end-to-end orientation with the first blade segment at a chord-wise extending joint; and,
a joint assembly releasably coupling the first and second blade segments together at the chord-wise extending joint, the joint assembly comprising first and second sets of teeth configured with the first and second blade segments, respectively, the joint assembly being movable between a locked position and an unlocked position by engaging and disengaging the first and second sets of teeth, wherein, in the locked position, the first and second sets of teeth engage each other
wherein, in the locked position, the first and second blade segments are secured together via the first and second teeth engaging each other, and wherein, movement from the locked position to the unlocked position, releases the first and second sets of teeth, thereby releasing the first and second blade segments from each other.

2. The rotor blade assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first and second sets of teeth are secured to an inner surface of the first and second blade segments, respectively.

3. The rotor blade assembly of claim 2 , wherein the joint assembly further comprises a spring-locking system, the spring-locking system comprising a plurality of springs, at least one of the plurality of springs secured between the inner surface of the first blade component and a tooth from the first set of teeth and another one of the plurality of springs secured between the inner surface of the second blade component and a tooth from the second set of teeth.

4. The rotor blade assembly of claim 3 , wherein the joint assembly further comprises one or more input devices exposed to on an outer surface of one of the first and second blade segments, each of the plurality of input devices engaged with at least one of the first and second sets of teeth or one of the plurality of springs such that a user can release the first and second blade segments from each other from the outer surface.

5. The rotor blade assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first and second sets of teeth are constructed of a flexible material, a rigid material, a metallic material, one or more composite materials, or combinations thereof.

6. The rotor blade assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first and second sets of teeth are adjustable.

7. The rotor blade assembly of claim 6 , wherein the joint assembly further comprises an adjustable mounting device mounted at a first end of each of the first and second sets of teeth, the adjustable mounting device securing each of the first and second sets of teeth to the inner surface of the first and second blade segments.

8. The rotor blade assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first or second blade segments corresponds to a blade tip segment of the rotor blade.

9. A method for joining multiple blade segments of a rotor blade, the method comprising:
aligning a first blade segment and a second blade segment in an end-to-end orientation at a chord-wise extending joint; and,
engaging first and second sets of teeth of the first and second blade segments, respectively, at the chord-wise extending joint, wherein engagement of the first and second sets of teeth secures the first and second blade segments in a locked position.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein engaging the first and second sets of teeth further comprises at least one of:
twisting one of the first and second blade segments with respect to the other,
pushing one of the blade segments into the other so as to engage the first and second sets of teeth of the joint assembly, or
utilizing a rail system connected to the first and second sets of teeth.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising securing the first and second sets of teeth to an inner surface of the first and second blade segments, respectively.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the joint assembly further comprises a spring-locking system, the spring-locking system comprising a plurality of springs, at least one of the plurality of springs secured between the inner surface of the first blade component and a tooth from the first set of teeth and another one of the plurality of springs secured between the inner surface of the second blade component and a tooth from the second set of teeth.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising adjusting the first and second sets of teeth via an adjustable mounting device mounted at a first end of each of the first and second sets of teeth and securing each of the first and second sets of teeth to the inner surface of the first and second blade segments via the adjustable mounting device.

14. A method for disassembling multiple blade segments of a rotor blade, the rotor blade having a first blade segment and a second blade segment secured together in an end-to-end orientation at a chord-wise extending joint, the method comprising:
disengaging first and second sets of teeth of the first and second blade segments, respectively, of a joint assembly at the chord-wise extending joint; and,
removing one of the first and second blade segments from the other.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein disengaging the first and second sets of teeth of the first and second blade segments, respectively, of the joint assembly further comprises at least one of:
twisting one of the first and second blade segments with respect to the other,
pulling one of the blade segments apart from the other so as to disengage the first and second sets of teeth of the first and second blade segments, respectively, of the joint assembly, or
utilizing a rail system connected to the first and second sets of teeth of the first and second blade segments, respectively.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the joint assembly further comprises a spring-locking system, the spring-locking system comprising a plurality of springs, at least one of the plurality of springs secured between an inner surface of the first blade component and a tooth from the first set of teeth and another one of the plurality of springs secured between an inner surface of the second blade component and a tooth from the second set of teeth.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising releasing the first and second sets of teeth of the first and second blade segments, respectively, from an outer surface of the first and second blade segments via one or more input devices.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein at least one of the first or second blade segments corresponds to a blade tip segment of the rotor blade, and wherein the method further comprises replacing the blade tip segment with a different blade tip segment.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Shain Eric Michael
• Irizarry-Rosado Xiomara

Classifications

• F05B2260/30

  Retaining components in desired mutual position · CPC title

• F03D1/0675 Primary

  of the blades · CPC title

• F03D13/10

  Assembly of wind motors; Arrangements for erecting wind motors · CPC title

• F05B2230/70

  Disassembly methods · CPC title

• Y02P70/523

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic