Wind turbine blade with bond paste inspection window and associated method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9719490-B2
Application number	US-201414529275-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2014
Priority date	Oct 31, 2014
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

A wind turbine blade has an upper shell member and a lower shell member bonded at a leading and trailing edge of the blade with a bond paste applied between respective forward and rearward edges of the shell members. At least one of the shell members includes a first inspection window defined therein along one of the leading edge or trailing edge at a location corresponding at least to a design minimum bond width of the bond paste applied at the respective leading edge or trailing edge. The inspection window provides a visible access through the shell member such that a visible indication is generated through the inspection window when bond paste is injected and reaches the minimum bond width location in the chord-wise direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wind turbine blade with a leading edge and a trailing edge, said blade comprising:
an upper shell member and a lower shell member, each of the upper shell member and said lower shell member comprising a chord-wise forward edge and a rearward edge, the forward edges bonded at the leading edge and the rearward edges bonded at the trailing edge with a bond paste applied between the respective forward edges and rearward edges;
at least one of the shell members comprising a first inspection window defined therein along one of the leading edge or trailing edge at a location corresponding at least to a design minimum bond width of the bond paste applied at the respective leading edge or trailing edge;
the first inspection window providing a visible access through the shell member such that a visible indication is generated through the first inspection window when bond paste is injected and reaches the minimum bond width location or beyond in the chord-wise direction; and
the first inspection window comprises a passage defined through core material of the shell member, the passage filled with a translucent material, wherein the core material of the shell member prevents visible access through the shell member such that the visible indication of the bond paste is given only when the pond paste flows under the first inspection window.

2. The wind turbine blade as in claim 1 , wherein the visible indication is the visible presence of the bond paste through the first inspection window.

3. The wind turbine blade as in claim 1 , wherein the visible indication is light transmitted through the first inspection window from a light source.

4. The wind turbine blade as in claim 1 , further comprising a second inspection window defined in the opposite shell member along the respective leading or trailing edge such that the first and second inspection windows are aligned along an axis at the minimum bond width location or beyond in the chord-wise direction.

5. The wind turbine blade as in claim 1 , wherein the translucent material is one of a translucent resin filled in the passage or a translucent plug inserted into the passage.

6. The wind turbine blade as in claim 1 , comprising a plurality of the inspection windows spaced apart span-wise adjacent to the trailing edge.

7. The wind turbine blade as in claim 1 , wherein the inspection window extends chord-wise from the trailing edge at least to the location corresponding to the design minimum bond width such that the visible indication is also a quantitative indication of closeness of the bond paste to the design minimum bond width.

8. A method for verifying that bond paste has migrated to at least a minimum design bond width along a leading or trailing edge of a wind turbine blade, the wind turbine blade having an upper shell member and a lower shell member with respective forward and rearward edges bonded together at the leading and trailing edges, the method comprising:
defining a first inspection window through at least one of the shell members at a location corresponding to the design minimum bond width or beyond at the respective leading edge or trailing edge;
during bonding of the shell members, detecting a visual change through the inspection window as the bond paste migrates past the design minimum bond width location; and
the first inspection window defined by forming a passage through core material of the shell member and filling the passage with a translucent material, wherein the core material of the shell member prevents visible access through the shell member such that the visible indication of the bond paste is given only when the pond paste flows under the first inspection window.

9. The method as in claim 8 , further comprising defining a second inspection window in the opposite shell member along the respective leading or trailing edge such that the first and second inspection windows are aligned along an axis at the minimum bond width location or beyond, and directing light from a light source external to the wind turbine blade along the axis, wherein the visual change is an absence or decrease in light transmitted through the first and second inspection windows as the bond paste migrates past the first and second inspection windows.

10. The method as in claim 8 , further comprising transmitting light from a light source externally through the first inspection window, wherein the visual change is detection of reflected light from the bond paste as the bond paste migrates past the first inspection window.

11. The method as in claim 8 , wherein the first inspection window is defined along the trailing edge of the wind turbine blade.

12. The method as in claim 11 , further comprising defining a plurality of the first inspection windows spaced apart span-wise adjacent to the trailing edge.

13. A method for verifying that bond paste has migrated to at least a minimum design bond width along a leading or trailing edge of a wind turbine blade, the wind turbine blade having an upper shell member and a lower shell member with respective forward and rearward edges bonded together at the leading and trailing edges, the method comprising:
defining a first inspection window through at least one of the shell members at a location corresponding to the design minimum bond width or beyond at the respective leading edge or trailing edge;
during bonding of the shell members, detecting a visual change through the inspection window as the bond paste migrates past the design minimum bond width location; and
further comprising defining a second inspection window in the opposite shell member along the respective leading or trailing edge such that the first and second inspection windows are aligned along an axis at the minimum bond width location or beyond, and directing light from a light source internal to the wind turbine blade, wherein the visual change is an absence or decrease in light transmitted out through the first or second inspection windows as the bond paste migrates past the first and second inspection windows.

14. The method as in claim 13 , wherein the absence or decrease in light is detected from each of the first and second inspection windows.

15. A method for verifying that bond paste has migrated to at least a minimum design bond width along a leading or trailing edge of a wind turbine blade, the wind turbine blade having an upper shell member and a lower shell member with respective forward and rearward edges bonded together at the leading and trailing edges, the method comprising:
defining a first inspection window through at least one of the shell members at a location corresponding to the design minimum bond width or beyond at the respectively leading edge or trailing edge;
during bonding of the shell members, detecting a visual change through the inspection window as the bond paste migrates past the design minimum bond width location; and
wherein the first inspection window is defined as a continuous span-wise window adjacent to the trailing edge.

16. A method for verifying that bond paste has migrated to at least a minimum design bond width along a leading or trailing edge of a wind turbine blade, the wind turbine blade having an upper shell member and a lower shell member with respective forward and rearward edges bonded together at the leading and trailing edges, the method comprising:
defining a first inspection window through at least one of the shell members at a location corresponding to the design minimum bond width or beyond at the respective leading edge or trailing edge;
during bonding of the shell members, dete

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Caruso Christopher Daniel
• Yarbrough Aaron A

Classifications

• B29C66/54

  Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-shells, to form hollow articles, e.g. for making balls, containers; Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-cylinders, to form tubular articles · CPC title

• B29C66/97

  Checking completion of joining or correct joining by using indications on at least one of the joined parts · CPC title

• B29C66/1162

  Single bevel to bevel joints, e.g. mitre joints · CPC title

• B29C65/483

  Reactive adhesives, e.g. chemically curing adhesives · CPC title

• B29L2031/085

  Wind turbine blades · CPC title