Wind turbine rotor blade

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10690111-B2
Application number	US-201615367472-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2016
Priority date	Dec 2, 2016
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a rotor blade that includes a shell defining an interior cavity. The rotor blade also includes exterior surfaces defining a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge. Each of the pressure side, the suction side, the leading edge, and the trailing edge extends between a tip and a root. The shell defines a span and a chord. A shear web is positioned in the interior cavity and coupled to the shell. The shear web includes a lattice structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rotor blade, comprising:
a shell defining an interior cavity and comprising exterior surfaces defining a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge each extending between a tip and a root, the shell defining a span and a chord;
a spar cap coupled the shell;
a shear web positioned in the interior cavity and coupled to the shell; and
an end cap coupled to the spar cap and an end of the shear web, the end cap including an end cap wall positioned between the end of the shear web and the spar cap,
wherein the shear web comprises a lattice structure including a first wall, a second wall extending outwardly from the first wall and coupled to the end cap, and a third wall extending outwardly from the first wall and coupled to the end cap, and
wherein the first wall, the second wall, the third wall, and the first end cap collectively define a cavity filled with a foam.

2. The rotor blade of claim 1 , wherein the shear web comprises a first shear web member coupled to a second shear web member, the first shear web member comprising a first lattice structure and the second shear web member comprising a second lattice structure.

3. The rotor blade of claim 2 , wherein the first shear web member comprises a projection, and the second shear web member comprises a slot for receiving the projection of the first shear web.

4. The rotor blade of claim 1 , wherein the shell comprises a first shell portion defining the pressure side and a second shell portion defining the suction side, the first shell portion coupled to the second shell portion, and wherein a first side of the shear web is coupled to the first shell portion and a second side of the shear web is coupled to the second shell portion.

5. The rotor blade of claim 1 , wherein the end cap corresponds to a first end cap coupled to a first side of the shear web and a portion of the shell defining the pressure side, the rotor blade further comprising:
a second end cap coupled to a second side of the shear web and a portion of the shell defining the suction side.

6. The rotor blade of claim 1 , wherein the lattice structure comprises a triangular lattice pattern.

7. The rotor blade of claim 1 , wherein the lattice structure is formed from a fiber reinforced polymer material.

8. A rotor blade, comprising:
a shell defining an interior cavity and comprising exterior surfaces defining a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge each extending between a tip and a root, the shell defining a span and a chord;
a first spar cap coupled a portion of the shell defining the pressure side;
a second spar cap coupled a portion of the shell defining the suction side;
a shear web positioned in the interior cavity, the shear web comprising a first side;
a first end cap coupled to the first spar cap and a first end of the shear web, the first end cap including an end cap wall positioned between the first end of the shear web and the first spar cap; and
a second end cap coupled to the second spar cap and a second end of the shear web, the second end cap including an end cap wall positioned between the second end of the shear web and the second spar cap,
wherein the shear web comprises a lattice structure including a first wall, a second wall extending outwardly from the first wall and coupled to the first end cap, and a third wall extending outwardly from the first wall and coupled to the first end cap, and
wherein the first wall, the second wall, the third wall, and first end cap collectively define a cavity filled with a foam.

9. The rotor blade of claim 8 , wherein the first side of the shear web is bonded to the first end cap and the second side of the shear web is bonded to the second end cap.

10. The rotor blade of claim 8 , further comprising:
a spacer positioned between the first end cap and the first spar cap or between the second end cap and the second spar cap.

11. The rotor blade of claim 8 , wherein the end cap wall of the first end cap corresponds to a first end cap wall of the first end cap and the end cap wall of the second end cap corresponds to a first end cap wall of the second end cap and at least one of the first end cap and the second end cap comprises:
a second end cap wall extending outward from the first end cap wall of the corresponding first end cap or second end cap and coupled to the shear web.

12. The rotor blade of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the first end cap and the second end cap comprises a third end cap wall extending outward from the first end cap wall of the corresponding first end cap or second end cap and coupled to the shear web, the third end cap wall being spaced apart from the second end cap wall of the corresponding first end cap or second end cap.

13. The rotor blade of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the second end cap wall and the third end cap wall comprises a triangular cross-section.

14. A wind turbine, comprising:
a tower;
a nacelle mounted on the tower;
a rotor coupled to the nacelle, the rotor comprising a hub and at least one rotor blade extending outward from the hub, each rotor blade comprising:
a shell defining an interior cavity and comprising exterior surfaces defining a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge each extending between a tip and a root, the shell defining a span and a chord;
a spar cap coupled the shell;
a shear web positioned in the interior cavity and coupled to the shell; and
an end cap coupled to the spar cap and an end of the shear web, the end cap including an end cap wall positioned between the end of the shear web and the spar cap,
wherein the shear web comprises a lattice structure including a first wall, a second wall extending outwardly from the first wall and coupled to the first wall, and a third wall extending outwardly from the first wall and coupled to the first wall, and
wherein the first wall, the second wall, the third wall, and the end cap collectively define a cavity filled with a foam.

15. The wind turbine of claim 14 , wherein the shear web comprises a first shear web member coupled to a second shear web member, the first shear web member comprising a first lattice structure and the second shear web member comprising a second lattice structure.

16. The wind turbine of claim 14 , wherein the end cap corresponds to a first end cap coupled to a first side of the shear web and a portion of the shell defining the pressure side, the wind turbine further comprising:
a second cap coupled to a second side of the shear web and to a portion of the shell defining the suction side.

17. The wind turbine of claim 16 , wherein the end cap wall of the first end cap corresponds to a first end cap wall of the first end cap and the end cap wall of the second end cap corresponds to a first end cap wall of the second end cap and at least one of the first end cap and the second end cap comprises:
a second end cap wall extending perpendicularly outward from the first end cap wall of the corresponding first end cap or second end cap and coupled to the shear web.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Johnson Stephen Bertram
• Kyriakides Anne Parsons

Classifications

• Y02E10/72

  Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction · CPC title

• F05B2280/6012

  Foam · CPC title

• F03D1/0675 Primary

  of the blades · CPC title

• F05B2240/21

  for wind turbines · CPC title

• F05B2250/11

  triangular · CPC title