Wind turbine blade body manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11951659-B2
Application number	US-201917299450-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2019
Priority date	Dec 6, 2018
Publication date	Apr 9, 2024
Grant date	Apr 9, 2024

Abstract

The invention provides a wind turbine blade body manufacturing method, the method comprising the steps of: providing a mould (40) having an elongated mould surface (43), placing a movable insert (50) on the mould surface, in a first position, forming, with the insert in the first position, a first blade body having a first length (L1), placing the insert (50) on the mould surface, in a second position, and forming, with the insert in the second position, a second blade body having a second length (L2) which is different from the first length.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wind turbine blade body manufacturing method, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a mould having an elongated mould surface,
placing a movable insert on the mould surface, in a first position,
forming, with the insert in the first position, a first blade body having a first length,
placing the insert on the mould surface, in a second position, and
forming, with the insert in the second position, a second blade body having a second length which is different from the first length, wherein:
a difference, at the first position and at the second position, of the orientation of the insert around a longitudinal axis of the mould surface, is linearly dependent on the distance between the first position and the second position, and/or
a difference, at the first position and at the second position, of the orientation of the insert around a lateral axis of the mould surface, is linearly dependent on the distance between the first position and the second position.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mould surface extends from a mould root end to a mould tip end, and comprises a portion presenting a constant cross-section, wherein the steps of placing the insert, in the first and second positions, comprises placing the insert with a proximal end thereof facing toward the mould root end, and placing the proximal end within the constant cross-section portion.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the proximal end has a shape which is substantially the same as the cross-sectional shape of the constant cross-section portion.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the steps of placing the insert, in the first and second positions, comprises fixing the insert in a lateral direction of the mould surface, by means of a mechanical locking arrangement extending along at least one of opposite longitudinal edges of the mould surface.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein fixing the insert comprises placing the insert so as to partly cover the locking arrangement, wherein a cover device is placed to cover a part of the locking arrangement not covered by the insert.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the insert presents an insert tip end for forming a tip of the first and second blade bodies.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
selecting the lengths of the first and second blade bodies based on required lengths of respective blades for a first wind turbine and a second wind turbine, and selecting the first and second positions to form the first and second blade bodies with the selected lengths.

8. A wind turbine blade installation method, comprisinl
providing the first blade body and the second blade body according to the method of claim 1 ,
mounting on a first wind turbine in a wind farm, a first blade comprising the first blade body, and
mounting on a second wind turbine in the wind farm, a second blade comprising the second blade body.

9. A wind turbine blade body manufacturing apparatus comprising:
a mould, having an elongated mould surface extending from a mould root end to a mould tip end, and
a movable insert, the apparatus being arranged to allow the insert to be placed on the mould surface, in a plurality of positions along the longitudinal direction of the mould surface, for forming blade bodies having respective lengths which are dependent on the insert position along the longitudinal direction of the mould surface,
wherein, in the constant cross-section portion, a twist of the mould surface changes linearly in the longitudinal direction of the mould surface.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the mould surface comprises a portion presenting a constant cross-section.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the insert comprises a proximal end arranged to face toward the mould root end and a distal end arranged to face away from the mould root end, the proximal end having a shape which is substantially the same as the cross-sectional shape of the constant cross-section portion.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein at least a part of the mould surface is curved in the longitudinal direction so as to provide a longitudinal bend on the blade bodies, the curvature of the mould surface being constant in the constant cross-section portion.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the mould presents, at the constant cross-section portion, a mechanical locking arrangement along at least one of opposite longitudinal edges of the mould surface, for fixing the insert in a lateral direction of the mould surface.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the insert is arranged to partly cover the locking arrangement, the apparatus further comprising a cover device arranged to cover a part of the locking arrangement not covered by the insert.

15. A wind turbine blade body manufacturing method, comprising forming a blade body with an apparatus according to claim 9 , and with the insert in one of the plurality of positions.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the blade body has a length within 90-100%, of the length of the longest blade body that can be formed in the apparatus.

Assignees

• Vestas Wind Sys As

Inventors

• Smith Jonathan

Classifications

• B29C33/306 Primary

  Exchangeable mould parts, e.g. cassette moulds, mould inserts (moulds with exchangeable mould parts for injection moulding B29C45/2673; mounting of exchangeable mould inserts for injection moulding B29C45/2675) · CPC title

• B29C43/12

  using bags surrounding the moulding material {or using membranes contacting the moulding material} · CPC title

• B29C43/14

  in several steps · CPC title

• B29C70/302

  Details of the edges of fibre composites, e.g. edge finishing or means to avoid delamination · CPC title

• B29C70/446

  Moulding structures having an axis of symmetry or at least one channel, e.g. tubular structures, frames · CPC title