Rotor blade for a wind turbine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9410529-B2
Application number	US-201514816542-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2015
Priority date	Jun 10, 2011
Publication date	Aug 9, 2016
Grant date	Aug 9, 2016

Abstract

A rotor blade for a wind turbine has an elongate blade base body with a plurality of connecting elements. Each connecting element comprises at least one axially extending connecting portion adapted to be connected with corresponding connecting portions of a rotor hub of the wind turbine. The connecting elements are connected in a circumferential direction so as to build a closed ring-shape.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wind turbine rotor blade, comprising:
an elongate blade base body, the elongate base body transitions to a circular blade root with a circular face side; and
a plurality of connecting elements disposed in the circular blade root, each of the plurality of connecting elements comprising:
an axially extending connecting portion configured to be connected with corresponding connecting portions of a rotor hub of a wind turbine,
a circumferentially extending protrusion, and
a corresponding circumferentially extending recess,
wherein adjacently disposed connecting elements of the plurality of connecting elements are interconnected via the circumferentially extending protrusion of a first of the adjacently disposed connecting elements and the corresponding circumferentially extending recess of a second of the adjacently disposed connecting elements, each of the interconnections being mechanically stable in a radial direction and in a circumferential direction,
wherein a mechanical stiffening occurs in the blade root via the interconnection of the plurality of connecting elements into a closed ring-shaped arrangement, and
wherein the plurality of connecting elements comprises at least one radially extending connector configured to connect the respective connecting element with a corresponding radially extending connector of a ring member having a radially outer and/or inner position with respect to the connecting elements.

2. The wind turbine rotor blade according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the plurality of connecting elements have a ring-segment-like shape.

3. The wind turbine rotor blade according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of connecting elements comprises a plurality of radially extending connectors.

4. The wind turbine rotor blade according to claim 1 ,
wherein the circumferentially extending protrusion is a dovetail-like protrusion and the circumferentially extending recess is a corresponding dovetail-like recess.

5. The wind turbine rotor blade according to claim 1 ,
wherein the circumferentially extending protrusion is adjacently disposed to the radially outer border of a respective connecting element with respect to the centre axis of the rotor blade.

6. The wind turbine rotor blade according to claim 1 ,
wherein the circumferentially extending protrusion is adjacently disposed to the radially inner border of a respective connecting element with respect to the centre axis of the rotor blade.

7. The wind turbine rotor blade according to claim 1 ,
wherein each connecting element has a symmetrical shape with respect to its circumferentially aligned longitudinal axis.

8. The wind turbine rotor blade according to claim 1 ,
wherein each connecting element has an asymmetrical shape with respect to its circumferentially aligned longitudinal axis.

9. The wind turbine rotor blade according to claim 1 ,
wherein the mechanical stiffing is such that an ovalization effect of the self-weight of the rotor blade is minimized.

10. The wind turbine rotor blade according to claim 9 ,
wherein the mechanical stiffing is such that the ovalization effect of the self-weight of the rotor blade is prevented.

11. The wind turbine rotor blade according to claim 1 ,
wherein the interconnecting between the respective connecting element with the adjacently disposed connecting element is an interlocked interconnection.

12. The wind turbine rotor blade according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the plurality of connecting elements tapers in a direction away from the axially extending connecting portion.

Assignees

• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Grove-Nielsen Erik

Classifications

• F03D1/001 Primary

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• Y02E10/721

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F05B2240/90

  Mounting on supporting structures or systems · CPC title

• F05B2240/40

  Use of a multiplicity of similar components · CPC title

• Y02E10/728

  Onshore wind turbines · CPC title