Wind turbine rotor blade components formed using pultruded rods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10677216-B2
Application number	US-201715791705-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2017
Priority date	Oct 24, 2017
Publication date	Jun 9, 2020
Grant date	Jun 9, 2020

Abstract

Wind turbine rotor blade components including pultruded rods and methods of manufacturing the same are disclosed. More specifically, the rotor blade component includes a plurality of pultruded rods housed within an enclosed primary outer casing. The enclosed primary outer casing includes a hollow interior, a root end, and an opposing tip. As such, each of the plurality of pultruded rods is received within the enclosed primary outer casing and secured therein via a first resin material. Further, an arrangement of the plurality of pultruded rods within the primary outer casing and a relationship of a maximum dimension of each of the plurality of pultruded rods and a maximum dimension of the enclosed primary outer casing are configured to maximize flexibility of the rotor blade component.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rotor blade component for a wind turbine, the rotor blade component comprising:
a pultruded enclosed primary outer casing defining a hollow interior having closed side walls and open opposing ends; and,
a plurality of pultruded rods arranged in a plurality of rows and received within the hollow interior of the primary outer casing, the plurality of pultruded rods secured within the hollow interior via a first resin material,
wherein an arrangement of the plurality of pultruded rods within the primary outer casing and a relationship of a maximum dimension of each of the plurality of pultruded rods and a maximum dimension of the enclosed primary outer casing are configured to maximize flexibility of the rotor blade component.

2. The rotor blade component of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of pultruded rods comprises a first fiber volume fraction of from 60% to 80% of an overall volume of each of the plurality of pultruded rods.

3. The rotor blade component of claim 1 , wherein the primary outer casing, the plurality of pultruded rods, and the first resin material together comprise a second fiber volume fraction from 50% to 70% of an overall volume of the rotor blade component.

4. The rotor blade component of claim 1 , wherein the maximum diameter of each of the plurality of pultruded rods corresponds to a diameter thereof, the diameter of each of the plurality of pultruded rods being less than 10% of the maximum dimension of the enclosed outer casing.

5. The rotor blade component of claim 1 , wherein the enclosed primary outer casing is constructed of a plurality of fibers joined together via a second resin material.

6. The rotor blade component of claim 1 , wherein the primary outer casing comprises a root end and a tip end, the enclosed primary outer casing being curved between said root end and said tip end.

7. The rotor blade component of claim 6 , wherein a cross-sectional area of the primary outer casing tapers between said root end and said tip end.

8. The rotor blade component of claim 6 , wherein the primary outer casing defines a wall thickness that varies between said root end to said tip end.

9. The rotor blade component of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of additional enclosed casings arranged within the primary outer casing, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of rods is received within each of the enclosed additional enclosed casings.

10. The rotor blade component of claim 1 , further comprising a filler material received and secured within the enclosed primary outer casing via the first resin material.

11. The rotor blade component of claim 1 , wherein the primary outer casing comprises a plurality of cavities arranged in a side-by-side configuration in a chord-wise direction of the rotor blade.

12. The rotor blade component of claim 11 , wherein at least two of the plurality of cavities comprises at least a portion of the plurality of pultruded rods and at least one of the plurality of cavities comprises a filler material.

13. The rotor blade component of claim 1 , wherein the rotor blade component comprises at least one of a spar cap, a shear web, a root ring, or an edgewise stiffening reinforcement.

14. The rotor blade component of claim 1 , wherein the enclosed primary outer casing is formed via at least one of pultrusion, thermoforming, or infusion.

15. The rotor blade component of claim 1 , further comprising at least one pultruded plate, wherein the at least one pultruded plate is joined with the exterior of the primary outer casing and secured there via a third resin material.

16. A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine, the rotor blade assembly comprising:
a rotor blade comprising a suction side, a pressure side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge extending between a blade root and a blade tip; and,
at least one rotor blade component arranged within the rotor blade, the rotor blade component comprising:
a pultruded enclosed primary outer casing extending in a span-wise direction of the rotor blade from the blade root towards the blade tip, the enclosed primary outer casing comprising at least one hollow interior with closed side walls and open opposing ends; and,
a plurality of pultruded rods arranged in a plurality of rows and received within the at least one hollow interior and secured therein via a first resin material,
wherein an arrangement of the plurality of pultruded rods within the primary outer casing and a relationship of a maximum dimension of each of the plurality of pultruded rods and a maximum dimension of the enclosed primary outer casing are configured to maximize flexibility of the rotor blade component.

17. The rotor blade assembly of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of pultruded rods comprise at least one of carbon fibers and glass fibers, wherein a ratio of pultruded rods formed from glass fibers to pultruded rods formed from carbon fibers varies along the span-wise direction.

18. The rotor blade assembly of claim 16 , further comprising a plurality of additional enclosed casings arranged within the primary outer casing, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of rods is received within each of the enclosed additional enclosed casings.

19. The rotor blade assembly of claim 16 , wherein the enclosed primary outer casing comprises a plurality of cavities arranged in a side-by-side configuration in a chord-wise direction of the rotor blade.

20. A method of manufacturing a rotor blade component of a wind turbine, the method comprising:
forming an enclosed outer casing having at least one hollow interior via pultrusion;
arranging a plurality of pultruded rods within the at least one hollow interior of the enclosed outer casing in a plurality of rows and columns, wherein an arrangement of the plurality of pultruded rods within the primary outer casing and a relationship of a maximum dimension of each of the plurality of pultruded rods and a maximum dimension of the enclosed primary outer casing are configured to maximize flexibility of the rotor blade component;
sealing the outer casing at open opposing ends thereof; and,
infusing at least one resin material into the outer casing to secure the plurality of pultruded rods therein so as to form the rotor blade component.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Albert Bensely
• Althoff Nicholas K
• Livingston Jamie T
• Johnson Stephen Bertram

Classifications

• B29D99/0025

  Producing blades or the like, e.g. blades for turbines, propellers, or wings · CPC title

• F05B2240/301

  Cross-section characteristics · CPC title

• F05B2280/6015

  Resin · CPC title

• F05B2230/23

  by permanently joining parts together · CPC title

• B29C70/52

  Pultrusion, i.e. forming and compressing by continuously pulling through a die · CPC title