Wind turbine blade tool and method for producing a wind turbine blade

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12350899-B2
Application number	US-202017616415-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 4, 2020
Priority date	Jun 4, 2019
Publication date	Jul 8, 2025
Grant date	Jul 8, 2025

Abstract

Disclosed is a blade mould system for manufacturing of a wind turbine blade shell, the blade mould system comprising a blade mould having a moulding surface for defining an outer shape of a blade shell part, the blade shell part having an outer surface facing the moulding surface and an inner surface facing away from the moulding surface, and a first placement tool being positioned at a first placement tool position relative to the blade mould, the placement tool being adaptable between a first configuration and a second configuration. The first placement tool being configured to engage with a blade component being in a primary component position and position the blade component at a secondary component position relative to the moulding surface by the first placement tool attaining the second configuration, wherein the blade component is configured to be attached to the blade shell part in the secondary component position, wherein the first placement tool comprises a first movable part and a first stationary part.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A blade mould system for manufacturing of a wind turbine blade shell, the blade mould system comprising:
a blade mould having a moulding surface for defining an outer shape of a blade shell part, the blade shell part having an outer surface facing the moulding surface and an inner surface facing away from the moulding surface; and
a first placement tool being positioned at a first placement tool position relative to the blade mould, the placement tool being adaptable between a first configuration and a second configuration,
the first placement tool being configured to:
engage with a blade component being in a primary component position, the blade component being a glue flange for joining two half shells of a flat back wind turbine blade; and
position the blade component at a secondary component position relative to the moulding surface by the first placement tool attaining the second configuration, wherein the blade component is configured to be attached to the blade shell part in the secondary component position,
wherein the first placement tool comprises a first movable part and a first stationary part, and wherein the first movable part is rotatable relative to the first stationary part around a rotation axis,
wherein the first placement tool further comprises a first guiding part,
wherein the blade mould comprises a mould guiding part, and
wherein the first guiding part is configured to engage with the mould guiding part when the first placement tool is in the second configuration.

2. The blade mould system according to claim 1 , wherein the blade component in the secondary component position is configured to contact an attachment area of the inner surface of the blade shell part, the attachment area comprising adhesive.

3. The blade mould system according to claim 1 , wherein the first placement tool is fixed to an outer part of the blade mould.

4. The blade mould system according to claim 1 , wherein the first placement tool comprises a first engaging surface configured to contact and releasably attach to a primary side surface part of the blade component.

5. The blade mould system according to claim 4 , wherein the first engaging surface comprises a first alignment tab configured to align the primary side surface part in a predefined position on the first engaging surface.

6. The blade mould system according to claim 1 , comprising a component holder configured to retain the blade component in the primary component position, wherein the first placement tool is configured to engage with the blade component in the primary component position by attaining the first configuration, wherein the first placement tool is able to retrieve the blade component from the component holder.

7. The blade mould system according to claim 1 , wherein the first placement tool comprises a first engaging surface configured to contact and releasably attach to a primary side surface part of the blade component, wherein the first movable part comprises the first engaging surface and the first guiding part.

8. The blade mould system according to claim 7 , wherein the first movable part is in a first position relative to the first stationary part when the first placement tool is in the first configuration, and wherein the first movable part is in a second position relative to the first stationary part, different from the first position, when the first placement tool is in the second configuration.

9. The blade mould system according to claim 7 , wherein the first placement tool comprises a first extending part configured to extend and retract the first movable part relative to the first stationary part along an extension axis.

10. The blade mould system according to claim 7 , wherein the first placement tool comprises a hinge joint between the first movable part and the first stationary part, and wherein the first movable part is rotatable around a rotation axis.

11. The blade mould system according to claim 1 , comprising a plurality of placement tools including the first placement tool and a second placement tool, the plurality of placement tools being distributed along the longitudinal direction of the blade mould.

12. A method for assembling a wind turbine blade with a blade mould system comprising a blade mould and a first placement tool, the blade mould having a moulding surface for defining an outer shape of a blade shell part, the blade shell part having an outer surface facing the moulding surface and an inner surface facing away from the moulding surface, the first placement tool comprising a first movable part and a first stationary part, wherein the first movable part is rotatable relative to the first stationary part around a rotation axis, the first placement tool being positioned at a first placement tool position relative to the blade mould, the placement tool being adaptable between a first configuration and a second configuration, wherein the first placement tool further comprises a first guiding part, wherein the blade mould comprises a mould guiding part, and wherein the first guiding part is configured to engage with the mould guiding part when the first placement tool is in the second configuration, the method comprising:
engaging the first placement tool with a blade component being in a primary component position; and
positioning the blade component at a secondary component position relative to the moulding surface by the first placement tool attaining the second configuration, wherein the blade component is configured to be attached to the blade shell part in the secondary component position.

13. The method according to claim 12 , comprising the first placement tool attaining the first configuration prior to engaging the first placement tool with the blade component.

14. The method according to claim 12 , wherein engaging the first placement tool with the blade component comprises contacting and releasably attaching a first engaging surface of the first placement tool to a primary side surface part of the blade component.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein engaging the first placement tool with the blade component comprises applying a negative pressure between the first engaging surface and the primary side surface part.

16. The method according to claim 12 , wherein engaging the first placement tool with the blade component comprises aligning the primary side surface part in a predefined position on the first engaging surface.

17. The method according to claim 12 , wherein positioning the blade component in the secondary component position comprises placing the blade component over an attachment area of an inner surface of the blade shell part.

18. The method according to claim 12 , wherein positioning the first placement tool in the first and/or second configuration comprises rotating the first movable part relative to the first stationary part around a rotation axis.

Assignees

• Blade Dynamics Ltd
• Lm Wind Power As

Inventors

• Mukherjee Manish
• Lund-Laverick Michael

Classifications

• B29C70/46

  using matched moulds, e.g. for deforming sheet moulding compounds [SMC] or prepregs · CPC title

• F05B2230/21

  by casting · CPC title

• F03D1/0675

  of the blades · CPC title

• B29C33/12

  with incorporated means for positioning inserts, e.g. labels {(positioning reinforcements B29C70/541)} · CPC title

• Y02P70/50

  Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product · CPC title