Chordwise lay-up of fibre sheet material for turbine blades

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9376923-B2
Application number	US-201214232149-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2012
Priority date	Jul 13, 2011
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fibre sheet material and method of laying up fibre sheet material to manufacture wind turbine blades. The invention further comprises a blade manufactured by the method as well a use of such a blade. One aspect relates to an oblong fibre sheet material ( 26 ) for wind turbine blades, where a surface layer ( 14 ) is having a width, which in the lateral direction is broader than a lateral, unidirectional layer ( 10 ), and lengthwise side faces of at least the surface layer is provided with a thinning of a thickness of the layer to obtain favourable joints. Another aspect concerns manufacturing a wind turbine blade shell comprising laying fibre sheet ( 26 ) materials in a blade mould ( 20 ), where the sheet materials lengthwise are positioned in a direction corresponding to a chordwise direction of a turbine blade direction of the mould and overlapping in a spanwise direction. The effect obtained is a significant reduction in the amount of waste material compared to laying fibre sheets in the spanwise direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a wind turbine blade aerodynamic surface shell comprising laying oblong fibre sheet materials in a blade mould, the fibre sheet materials having a lengthwise extension, and a lateral extension being shorter than the lengthwise extension, wherein the sheet materials lengthwise are positioned in a direction corresponding to a chordwise direction of a turbine blade direction of the mould and overlapping in a spanwise direction, and wherein the fibre sheet materials comprise a respective fibre layer in the form of a unidirectional fibre layer having mainly fibres in the lateral direction of the respective fibre sheet material.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the fibre sheet material comprises multiple stacked fibre layers including a surface layer, where at least one other fibre layer is the unidirectional fibre layer, and where each layer has lengthwise side faces, and where the surface layer has a width, which in the lateral direction is broader than the unidirectional layer, and where the unidirectional layer is positioned relative to the surface layer such that the surface layer overlaps the unidirectional layer at both lengthwise side faces of the unidirectional layer, and where the lengthwise side faces of at least the surface layer is provided with a thinning of a thickness of the layer.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein lengthwise side faces of the surface layer and/or the unidirectional layer and/or all the fibre layers are frayed, crushed, grinded, tapered or cut to provide a thinning of a thickness of the layer or layers.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the fibre sheet material comprises a further fibre layer positioned on the unidirectional layer, where the unidirectional layer is broader than the further fibre layer.

5. The method according to claim 2 , where the surface layer has mainly fibres in a unidirectional direction, which is different from the direction of the fibres in the unidirectional layer.

6. The method according to claim 2 , wherein at least two fibre sheets have the surface layers facing the mould.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein a first fibre sheet is laid from a side of the mould, which is adapted to shape a leading edge of a turbine blade, and towards the opposite side of the mould, which is adapted to shape a trailing edge of a blade, where the sheet material is cut to conform to the mould, and where a side of the sheet, which was cut to conform to the mould, is laid as a second sheet from the part of the mould, which is adapted to shape a trailing edge of a blade, and towards the opposite side of the mould, which is adapted to shape a leading edge of a blade.

8. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the fibre sheet is cut to conform to the mould, which is adapted to shape the trailing edge of the blade.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least two fibres sheets are positioned spanwise in a way where at least the unidirectional layer of each sheet and another sheet are positioned overlapping an adjacent unidirectional layer and another layer in a spanwise direction.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one fibre sheet material is dry and the method comprise infusing the dry fibres with resin.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the fibre sheet materials comprise a respective fibre layer having lengthwise side faces parallel with the lengthwise extension of the respective fibre sheet material, where the lengthwise side faces are provided with a thinning of a thickness of the layer.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein lengthwise side faces of the fibre sheet material are perpendicular to the spanwise direction of the blade.

13. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising positioning the fibre sheet in the chordwise direction in the mould such that the unidirectional fibres extend in a spanwise direction of the mould.

Assignees

• Bech Anton
• Vestas Wind Sys As

Inventors

• Bech Anton

Classifications

• B29C70/30

  Shaping by lay-up, i.e. applying fibres, tape or broadsheet on a mould, former or core; Shaping by spray-up, i.e. spraying of fibres on a mould, former or core · CPC title

• B32B3/263

  characterised by a layer having non-uniform thickness · CPC title

• B32B5/024

  Woven fabric · CPC title

• B29C70/545

  Perforating, cutting or machining during or after moulding · CPC title

• B23P15/04

  turbine or like blades from several pieces · CPC title