Relating to wind turbine blade manufacture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11448182-B2
Application number	US-201816498107-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2018
Priority date	Apr 5, 2017
Publication date	Sep 20, 2022
Grant date	Sep 20, 2022

Abstract

A method of making a wind turbine blade is described. The wind turbine blade comprises first and second half shells joined together and a shear web bonded between inner surfaces of the respective half shells. The blade is made in a one-stage join up process, which involves supporting the half shells in respective mould halves, and arranging one of the half shells on top of the other half shell with the shear web arranged between the two half shells. Adhesive is provided between the shear web and the inner surfaces of the respective half shells. During the join-up process, the shear web is supported by stabilisers. The use of stabilisers avoids the need for a jig to support the shear web. Stabilisers attached to an inboard end of the shear web may remain accessible after the join-up and can be removed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of making a wind turbine blade, the method comprising:
providing first and second half shells of the blade, each half shell extending in a spanwise direction between a root end and a tip end and extending in a chordwise direction between a leading edge and a trailing edge;
providing a longitudinally-extending shear web comprising a web panel disposed between first and second mounting flanges;
providing adhesive between the first mounting flange of the shear web and the inner surface of the first half shell;
providing adhesive between the second mounting flange of the shear web and the inner surface of the second half shell;
joining the parts together in a one-stage join up process comprising arranging the second half shell on top of the first half shell and joining the half shells together whilst simultaneously curing the adhesive between the shear web and the first and second half shells to bond the shear web to the first and second half shells;
wherein the method further comprises supporting the shear web relative to the first half shell during the one-stage join up process by means of a plurality of stabilisers attached to the shear web, wherein each stabiliser extends from the shear web and has a foot arranged in contact with the inner surface of the half shell at a location spaced in the chordwise direction from the shear web.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising compressing the feet of the stabilisers under the weight of the second half shell acting on the shear web during the one-stage join up process.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising setting or adjusting a position of the feet of the stabilisers so that the shear web is supported in a substantially vertical orientation.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing the stabilisers from the shear web after the one-stage join up process.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stabilisers are only attached to an inboard portion of the shear web that remains accessible inside the blade following the join-up process.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising supporting the shear web during the join-up process by means of a plurality of further stabilisers attached to an outboard portion of the shear web, wherein the outboard portion is not accessible inside the blade following the join-up process, and wherein the further stabilisers are not removed following the join-up process.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising bonding a plurality of tabs between the first mounting flange and the inner surface of the first half shell prior to the join-up process.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising supporting the shear web by means of temporary stabilisers whilst bonding the plurality of tabs and removing the temporary stabilisers from the shear web prior to the join-up process.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second half shells are arranged in a longitudinally-extending mould cavity during the join-up process and the stabilisers do not extend outside longitudinal edges of the mould cavity.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising attaching a plurality of web foot locators to the inner surface of the first and/or second half shell, the web foot locators being configured to receive a mounting flange of the shear web.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the web foot locators are configured to form an interlock with the mounting flange.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a plurality of bond spacers between the first mounting flange and the inner surface of the first half shell and/or between the second mounting flange and the inner surface of the second half shell, and compressing the bond spacers during the join-up process such that they undergo plastic deformation.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising attaching a plurality of flange extenders to the first and/or second mounting flange of the shear web, the flange extenders being configured to locate the shear web in a respective plurality of web foot locators attached to the inner surface of the first and/or second half shells.

14. A wind turbine blade comprising:
first and second half shells joined together and defining an internal cavity between mutually opposed inner surfaces of the first and second half shells;
a longitudinally-extending shear web arranged in the internal cavity, the shear web having a web panel disposed between first and second mounting flanges and defining first and second opposed sides, the first mounting flange being bonded to the inner surface of the first half shell and the second mounting flange being bonded to the inner surface of the second half shell; and
a plurality of stabilisers attached to the first and second sides of the shear web, wherein each stabiliser extends from the shear web and has a foot arranged in contact with the inner surface of the half shell at a location space in the chordwise direction from the shear web.

15. The wind turbine blade of claim 14 , wherein the stabilisers are permanently attached to an outboard portion of the shear web that is inaccessible within the internal cavity of the blade.

16. The wind turbine blade of claim 14 , further comprising a plurality of removable stabilisers attached to an inboard portion of the shear web that is accessible within the internal cavity of the blade.

17. The wind turbine blade of claim 14 , further comprising a plurality of tabs bonded between the first mounting flange and the inner surface of the first half shell.

18. A wind turbine blade comprising:
first and second half shells joined together and defining an internal cavity between mutually opposed inner surfaces of the first and second half shells;
a longitudinally-extending shear web arranged in the internal cavity, the shear web having a web panel disposed between first and second mounting flanges, the first mounting flange being bonded to the inner surface of the first half shell and the second mounting flange being bonded to the inner surface of the second half shell; and
a plurality of stabilisers attached to and extending from the shear web, wherein each stabiliser includes a body and a foot adjustably positionable relative to the body and arranged to be in contact with the inner surface of the half shell at a location spaced in the chordwise direction from the shear web.

Assignees

• Vestas Wind Sys As

Inventors

• Smith Jonathan
• Hedges Andrew

Classifications

• B29L2031/085

  Wind turbine blades · CPC title

• B29C66/131

  Single flanged joints, i.e. one of the parts to be joined being rigid and flanged in the joint area · CPC title

• B29C65/4835

  Heat curing adhesives · CPC title

• B29C66/1312

  Single flange to flange joints, the parts to be joined being rigid (the parts to be joined being flexible B29C66/133) · CPC title

• B29D99/0028

  hollow blades · CPC title