System and method for attaching components to a web in a wind turbine rotor blade

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9759183-B2
Application number	US-201514589014-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 5, 2015
Priority date	Jan 5, 2015
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

A system and method for mounting a component to an internal web of a wind turbine blade includes, at a first mounting location on the internal web, at least one through-hole defined through the internal web. A bushing is located within the through-hole and is encased within an adhesive applied between the bushing and a wall of the through-hole. A plate is attached to each of the opposite panels of the internal web at the mounting location against an end face of the bushing, with each plate having a hole therein that is aligned with the through-hole. For mounting the component at the mounting location, a bolt is passed completely through the plates and bushing for attachment of a frame of the component to one of the plates.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mounting system configured with an internal web of a wind turbine rotor blade for mounting a component to the web, comprising:
a first internal web within the rotor blade, the first internal web having a core material sandwiched between opposite panels;
at a first mounting location on the first internal web, at least one through-hole defined through the first internal web;
a bushing located within the through-hole and encased within an adhesive applied between the bushing and a wall of the through-hole;
a plate attached to each of the opposite panels at the first mounting location against an end face of the bushing, each plate having a hole therein that is aligned with the through-hole;
wherein for mounting a component at the first mounting location, a bolt is passed completely through the plates and bushing for attachment of a frame of the component to one of the plates; and
spacers inserted in the through-hole between the bushing and the through-hole wall, the spacers embedded in the adhesive.

2. The mounting system as in claim 1 , wherein the spacers are attached to the bushing prior to insertion of the bushing in the through-hole.

3. The mounting system as in claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of the through-holes and bushings at the first mounting location, with the plates comprising a corresponding number of aligned holes.

4. The mounting system as in claim 1 , wherein the first internal web is a shear web.

5. The mounting system as in claim 4 , wherein the shear web includes a second internal web spaced from the first internal web and the component is intended for mounting between the first and the second internal webs, the second internal web comprising a second mounting location aligned opposite from the first mounting location, the second mounting location configured as the first mounting location with a respective through-hole, bushing, adhesive, and plates.

6. A method for installing a mounting system for attaching a component to an internal web of a wind turbine rotor blade, the internal web having a core material sandwiched between opposite panels, the method comprising:
at a mounting location on the internal web, producing a pattern of one or more through-holes completely through the internal web;
fill the through-holes with a flowable adhesive material;
center a bushing within each of the through holes so that the bushing is surrounded by and encased within the adhesive material within the through-hole;
apply additional adhesive material to each of the panels at the mounting location around the pattern of through-holes; and
attach a plate to each of the panels at the mounting location, each plate having a corresponding pattern of holes that align with the through-holes.

7. The method as in claim 6 , further comprising passing bolts completely through the plates and bushing, and using the bolts to preload the mounting system during curing of the adhesive materials.

8. The method as in claim 7 , wherein end faces of the bushings extend beyond the panels such that the plates are pressed directly against the end faces.

9. The method as in claim 8 , wherein further comprising placing a spacer at the mounting location when applying the adhesive material to the panels, the spacer-defining a minimum space between the plates and panel filled by the adhesive material.

10. The method as in claim 6 , wherein the bushings are centered in the through-holes with spacers inserted between the bushing and wall of the through-hole, the spacers encased within the adhesive material.

11. The method as in claim 10 , wherein the spacers are attached to the bushing prior to insertion of the bushing into the through-hole and adhesive material.

12. The method as in claim 6 , wherein the mounting system is installed on a shear web of the wind turbine rotor blade.

13. The method as in claim 6 , wherein the mounting system is installed on each of spaced apart shear webs of the wind turbine blade such that a component is mounted between the shear webs with use of the respective mounting systems.

14. A method for mounting a component between internal shear webs in a wind turbine rotor blade, the method comprising:
at a mounting location on each of the internal shear webs, producing a pattern of one or more through-holes completely through the internal shear web;
fill the through-holes with a flowable adhesive material;
center a bushing within each of the through holes so that the bushing is surrounded by and encased within the adhesive material within the through-hole;
apply an additional adhesive material to each of the panels at the mounting locations around the pattern of through-holes;
attach a plate to each of the panels at the mounting locations, each plate having a corresponding pattern of holes that align with the through-holes;
locate the component between the internal shear webs at the mounting locations; and
bolt a frame member of the component to facing ones of the plates at the mounting locations with bolts that pass completely through the plates and bushings at each respective mounting location such that the component is suspended between the internal shear webs.

15. The method as in claim 14 , wherein the component is a deicing cabinet.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Akhtar Afroz
• Sambamurty Saravakota
• Busbey Bruce Clark
• A A W Wilfred
• Veldkamp Bart Jan

Classifications

• Y02E10/721

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F03D1/0675 Primary

  of the blades · CPC title

• F03D1/0683

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F03D80/40

  Ice detection; De-icing means · CPC title

• F03D80/00

  Details, components or accessories not provided for in groups F03D1/00 - F03D17/00 · CPC title