Method for installing a shear web insert within a segmented rotor blade assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9506452-B2
Application number	US-201314012192-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2013
Priority date	Aug 28, 2013
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

A method for installing a shear web insert between a blade segment and a blade insert of a rotor blade assembly is disclosed. The blade segment may include a first shear web and the blade insert may include a second shear web. The method may generally include coupling a first positioning device along an inner surface of a first side of the rotor blade assembly, inserting the shear web insert horizontally between the first and second shear webs until a first side face of the shear web insert engages the first positioning device and coupling a first retention device along the inner surface of the first side of the rotor blade assembly so that the first retention device is positioned adjacent to a second side face of the shear web insert, wherein the second side face is opposite the first side face.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for installing a shear web insert between a blade segment and a blade insert of a rotor blade assembly, the blade segment including a first shear web and the blade insert including a second shear web, the method comprising:
coupling a first positioning device along an inner surface of a first side of the rotor blade assembly, the first side of the rotor blade assembly corresponding to one of a pressure side or a suction side of the rotor blade assembly, an opposite second side of the rotor blade assembly corresponding to the other of the pressure side or the suction side of the rotor blade assembly;
inserting the shear web insert horizontally between the first and second shear webs until a first side face of the shear web insert engages the first positioning device, the shear web insert including a second side face opposite the first side face, the shear web insert extending vertically between the first and second sides of the rotor blade assembly; and
after the shear web insert has been inserted between the first and second shear webs so as to engage the first side face of the shear web insert with the first positioning device, coupling a first retention device along the inner surface of the first side of the rotor blade assembly so that the first retention device is positioned adjacent to a second side face of the shear web insert, the shear web insert being positioned horizontally between the first positioning device and the first retention device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising coupling a second positioning device along an inner surface of the second side of the rotor blade assembly, the second positioning device being aligned with the first positioning device along a chordwise direction of the rotor blade assembly.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the shear web insert is inserted horizontally between the first and second shear webs until the first side face of the shear web inset engages the first and second positioning devices.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising coupling a second retention device along the inner surface of the second side of the rotor blade
assembly so that the second retention device is positioned adjacent to the second side face of the shear web insert, the second retention device being aligned with the first retention device along the chordwise direction.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising inserting the shear web insert horizontally between the first and second shear webs such that a first gap is defined between the inner surface of the first side of the rotor blade assembly and a top face of the shear web insert that is aligned with the first side face of the shear web insert and a second gap is defined between the inner surface and the top face that is aligned with the second side face of the shear web insert.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the top face is angled such that the first gap is larger than the second gap.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the top face is oriented at an angle ranging from about 5 degrees to about 50 degrees.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first gap ranges from about 5 millimeters to about 50 millimeters and the second gap ranges from 0 millimeters to about 30 millimeters.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the shear web insert is formed from two or more shear web segments.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising applying adhesive along the inner surface at a location adjacent to the first positioning device prior to inserting the shear web insert between the first and second shear webs.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein an access window is defined between the blade segment and the blade insert, further comprising inserting the shear web insert through the access window prior to inserting the shear web insert horizontally between the first and second shear webs.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein an angled interface is defined between the shear web insert and at least one of the first shear web or the second shear web, the angled interface being angled relative to a chordwise direction of the rotor blade assembly.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein an angled interface is defined between the shear web insert and at least one of the first shear web or the second shear web, the angled interface being angled relative to a flapwise direction of the rotor blade assembly.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising coupling a secondary positioning device to the second side face such that the secondary positioning device is configured to contact one of the first shear web or the second shear web when the shear web insert is inserted between the first and second shear webs.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising coupling a second positioning device along an inner surface of the second side of the rotor blade assembly, wherein inserting the shear web insert horizontally between the first and second shear webs comprises rotating the shear web insert between the first and second shear webs until the shear web insert engages the first and second positioning devices.

16. A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine having a first side and a second side, the first side of the rotor blade assembly corresponding to one of a pressure side or a suction side of the rotor blade assembly, an opposite second side of the rotor blade assembly corresponding to the other of the pressure side or the suction side of the rotor blade assembly, the rotor blade assembly comprising:
a blade segment defining a joint end, the blade segment including a first shear web;
a blade insert coupled to the joint end of the blade segment, the blade insert including a second shear web;
a shear web insert extending between the first and second shear webs the shear web insert extending vertically between the first and second sides of the rotor blade assembly, the shear web insert defining a first side face and a second side face disposed opposite the first side face;
a first positioning device coupled to an inner surface of at least one of the blade segment or the blade insert along the first side of the rotor blade assembly, the first positioning device being configured to engage the first side face of the shear web insert; and
a first retaining device coupled to the inner surface of the at least one of the blade segment or the blade insert along the first side of the rotor blade assembly, the first retaining device being positioned adjacent to the second side face of the shear web insert such that the shear web insert is positioned horizontally between the first positioning device and the first retention device.

17. The rotor blade assembly of claim 16 , further comprising a second positioning device coupled to an inner surface of at least one of the blade segment or the blade insert along the second side of the rotor blade assembly, the second positioning device being aligned with the first positioning device along a chordwise direction of the rotor blade assembly.

18. The rotor blade assembly of claim 17 , further comprising a second retention device coupled to the inner surface of at least one of the blade segment or the bade insert along the second side of the rotor blade assembly so that the second retention device is positioned adjacent to the second side face of the shear web insert, the second retention device being aligned with the first retention device along the chordwise direction.

19. The rotor blade assembly of claim 16 , wherein a first gap is defined between the inner surface of at least one of the blade segment or the

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Bakhuis Willem Jan
• Danielsen Darren John

Classifications

• F03D1/065 Primary

  characterised by their construction elements (F03D13/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F03D1/001

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F03D1/003

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F05B2240/302

  Segmented or sectional blades · CPC title

• Y10T29/49318

  Repairing or disassembling · CPC title