Rotor blade mold assembly and method for forming rotor blade

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9492973-B2
Application number	US-201213665997-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2012
Priority date	Nov 1, 2012
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

Methods for forming rotor blades, rotor blade mold assemblies, and cores for rotor blade mold assemblies are disclosed. A method includes providing a first shell substrate on a first mold, providing a generally hollow core on the first shell substrate, providing a second shell substrate on the generally hollow core, and providing a second mold on the second shell substrate. The method further includes flowing a resin into a mold interior defined between the first mold and the second mold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for forming a rotor blade, the method comprising:
providing a seamless outer skin layer comprising a first outer skin layer integral with a second outer skin layer;
placing the first outer skin layer on a first mold;
placing a first body layer and a first structural member comprising a shear web on the first outer skin layer;
providing a seamless inner skin layer comprising a first inner skin layer integral with a second inner skin layer;
placing the first inner skin layer on the first body layer and first structural member;
placing a generally hollow core on the first inner skin layer;
placing the second inner skin layer on the generally hollow core;
placing a second body layer on the second inner skin layer;
placing the second outer skin layer on the second body layer;
providing a second mold on the second outer skin layer; and
flowing a resin into a mold interior defined between the first mold and the second mold; and
curing the resin.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
providing a second structure member on the second inner skin layer;
providing the second outer skin layer on the second structural member and the second body layer.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first structural member further comprises a spar cap and the second structural member comprises a spar cap.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising providing a mat layer before providing the second structural member.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a bonding cap.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rotor blade comprises exterior surfaces defining a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge, wherein the first mold comprises an inner surface having an inner contour corresponding to one of the pressure side or the suction side, and wherein the second mold comprises an inner surface having an inner contour corresponding to the other of the pressure side or the suction side.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing a removable portion of the generally hollow core.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of removing the removable portion of the generally hollow core comprises pulling a cord connected to the removable portion.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Datta Madireddi Vasu
• Akhtar Afroz
• Nies Jacob Johannes

Classifications

• Y02E10/721

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B29C66/636

  using a support which remains in the joined object · CPC title

• B29C65/70

  by moulding (using a particular moulding technique, see the relevant technique {, e.g. by injection B29C45/14467}) · CPC title

• F03D1/0675

  of the blades · CPC title

• B29C66/1122

  Single lap to lap joints, i.e. overlap joints (B29C66/45, B29C66/472, B29C66/52272 take precedence) · CPC title