Method and apparatus for assembling a wind turbine blade having an internal web

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11072129-B2
Application number	US-201816477281-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 10, 2018
Priority date	Jan 12, 2017
Publication date	Jul 27, 2021
Grant date	Jul 27, 2021

Abstract

A method and apparatus for assembling a wind turbine blade ( 10 ) including first and second outer shell portions ( 16, 18 ) and an internal web ( 12 ) are provided. An adhesive material ( 42 ) is applied to a top end ( 30 ) of the internal web ( 12 ) as well as the edges ( 62, 64 ) of the first outer shell portion ( 16 ) for connection to the second outer shell portion ( 18 ). Localized heat energy is applied to pre-cure the adhesive material ( 42 ) at the top end ( 30 ) of the internal web ( 12 ) before applying heat energy to fully cure all of the adhesive material ( 42 ) in the wind turbine blade ( 10 ). The pre-curing is performed by a removable localized heater device ( 72 ), and it assures that the integrity of the bond between the internal web ( 12 ) and the second outer shell portion ( 18 ) is maintained during the full curing of the blade ( 10 ), when temporary thermal deformation of the outer shell ( 14 ) sometimes occurs.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of assembling a wind turbine blade including first and second outer shell portions and an internal web, the method comprising:
coupling a bottom end of the internal web with the first outer shell portion;
applying an adhesive material to a top end of the internal web and to edges of the first outer shell portion;
engaging the second outer shell portion with the edges of the first outer shell portion and with the top end of the internal web to enclose the internal web inside the first and second outer shell portions;
applying localized heat energy to the adhesive material at the top end of the internal web to pre-cure the adhesive material and thereby bond the top end of the internal web with the second outer shell portion; and
after pre-curing the adhesive material at the top end of the internal web, applying heat energy to the first and second outer shell portions to cure the adhesive material at the edges of the first outer shell portion and thereby bond the first and second outer shell portions together.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the internal web includes a flange defining the top end, and applying localized heat energy to the adhesive material at the top end of the internal web further comprises:
engaging a heater mat into contact with an underside of the flange at the top end of the internal web; and
operating the heater mat to supply the localized heat energy at the flange and thereby heat the adhesive material to pre-cure the adhesive material.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein engaging a heater mat into contact with the underside of the flange further comprises:
removably coupling a rigid holding strip with the flange so as to secure the heater mat between the holding strip and the underside of the flange at the top end of the internal web.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the rigid holding strip is formed from a heat insulating material such that heat energy is primarily directed through the flange to the adhesive material during operation of the heater mat.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein removably coupling the rigid holding strip with the flange further comprises:
connecting the rigid holding strip to the flange with a plurality of shear pins extending into the flange, the shear pins being configured to break when a predetermined removal force is applied to the rigid holding strip.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
pulling a line connected with a longitudinal end of the heater mat to apply the predetermined removal force and thereby break the shear pins to pull the rigid holding strip and the heater mat out of engagement with the flange after pre-curing the adhesive material.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the flange includes opposed first and second portions extending in opposite directions from a central reinforcement part of the internal web, and engaging the heater mat into contact with the underside of the flange further comprises:
wrapping the heater mat around a root end of the internal web such that the heater mat extends along the underside of the flange at both the first and second portions of the flange.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second outer shell portions define a longitudinal span length of the wind turbine blade, the internal web defines a first longitudinal length extending along a majority of the span length, and the applying of localized heat energy occurs only along a pre-cure region including a root end of the internal web and extending along a partial portion of the first longitudinal length.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
monitoring a pre-curing temperature of the adhesive material at the top end of the internal web during the applying of localized heat energy; and
determining an amount of curing that has occurred at the adhesive material at the top end of the internal web based on the pre-curing temperature.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
initiating the step of applying heat energy to the first and second outer shell portions when the amount of curing that has occurred at the adhesive material at the top end of the internal web has been determined to reach at least 12% of a full cure.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
initiating the step of applying heat energy to the first and second outer shell portions when the amount of curing that has occurred at the adhesive material at the top end of the internal web has been determined to reach about 100% of a full cure.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein coupling a bottom end of the internal web with the first outer shell portion further comprises:
applying an adhesive material to the first shell portion and placing the bottom end of the internal web into contact with the adhesive material on the first shell portion; and
curing the adhesive material between the first shell portion and the bottom end of the internal web before applying an adhesive material to the top end of the internal web and to the edges of the first outer shell portion.

13. An apparatus for assembling a wind turbine blade including first and second outer shell portions and an internal web, the apparatus comprising:
a mould including first and second mould halves defining surfaces on which the first and second outer shell portions are assembled, the first and second mould halves being moveable between open and closed positions and being configured to apply heat energy to cure adhesive material in the wind turbine blade;
a localized heating device sized for placement adjacent a top end of the internal web and configured to apply localized heat energy to pre-cure an adhesive material at the top end of the internal web to bond the internal web to one of the first and second outer shell portions;
a holding device that is removably engageable with the top end of the internal web to position the localized heating device adjacent the top end; and
a controller operatively connected to the mould and to the localized heating device, the controller being programmed to operate the localized heating device to pre-cure adhesive material at the top end of the internal web before operating an application of heat energy with the mould.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the localized heating device further comprises:
a flexible heater mat configured to follow a contour of the top end of the internal web when placed adjacent the top end of the internal web.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the holding device further comprises:
a rigid strip of heat insulating material including a plurality of shear pins configured to extend into connection with the top end of the internal web to sandwich the localized heating device between the internal web and the rigid strip of heat insulating material.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising:
a temperature sensor connected to the controller and positioned to monitor a pre-curing temperature of the adhesive material at the top end of the internal web during the applying of localized heat energy, such that the controller can determine an amount of curing that has occurred at the adhesive material at the top end of the internal web based on the pre-curing temperature.

Assignees

• Vestas Wind Sys As

Inventors

• Hedges Andrew
• Haahr Arne

Classifications

• B29C66/9121

  by measuring the temperature · CPC title

• B29C66/301

  Three-dimensional joints, i.e. the joined area being substantially non-flat (B29C66/5223, B29C66/5224, B29C66/5225 take precedence) · CPC title

• B29C66/61

  Joining from or joining on the inside (for making tubes by bending sheets and joining from the inside B29C53/387) · CPC title

• B29C65/18

  using heated tools · CPC title

• B29C66/532

  Joining single elements to the wall of tubular articles, hollow articles or bars · CPC title