System and method for controlling bonding material in a wind turbine blade

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9945354-B2
Application number	US-201514615450-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2015
Priority date	Oct 27, 2014
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

A wind turbine blade includes a first shell member including a first mating surface along a first edge of the wind turbine blade. Also, the wind turbine blade includes a second shell member including a second mating surface along the first edge of the wind turbine blade, wherein the second mating surface is opposite to the first mating surface. Further, the wind turbine blade includes a bonding material disposed between the first mating surface and the second mating surface and configured to bond the first mating surface to the second mating surface. Moreover, the wind turbine blade includes a constrainer positioned at a desired bond line and coupled to one of the first mating surface and the second mating surface, wherein the constrainer is configured to restrict the bonding material from migrating into an interior cavity of the wind turbine blade.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wind turbine blade, comprising:
a first shell member comprising a first mating surface along a first edge of the wind turbine blade;
a second shell member comprising a second mating surface along the first edge of the wind turbine blade, wherein the second mating surface is opposite to the first mating surface;
a bonding material disposed between the first mating surface and the second mating surface and configured to bond the first mating surface to the second mating surface; and
a constrainer positioned at a desired bond line and coupled to one of the first mating surface and the second mating surface, wherein the constrainer is configured to restrict the bonding material from migrating into an interior cavity of the wind turbine blade, and wherein the constrainer comprises a base section operatively coupled to the first shell member at one end of the first mating surface and configured to position the constrainer on the first mating surface.

2. The wind turbine blade of claim 1 , wherein the constrainer comprises:
a curved section extending vertically from the base section and facing the bonding material disposed between the first mating surface and the second mating surface.

3. The wind turbine blade of claim 2 , wherein the curved section of the constrainer is configured to force a first portion of the bonding material out of the wind turbine blade.

4. The wind turbine blade of claim 2 , wherein the curved section is configured to define one of a concave front line surface and a convex front line surface of the bonding material.

5. The wind turbine blade of claim 2 , wherein the constrainer further comprises a collector section coupled to an end of the curved section facing the interior cavity of the wind turbine blade.

6. The wind turbine blade of claim 5 , wherein the collector section is configured to collect a second portion of the bonding material that migrates from the end of the curved section.

7. The wind turbine blade of claim 1 , wherein the bonding material is disposed within a determined area between the first mating surface and the second mating surface.

8. The wind turbine blade of claim 7 , wherein the constrainer is configured to contain the bonding material within the determined area.

9. The wind turbine blade of claim 1 , wherein the constrainer comprises a flexible material configured to restrict the bonding material from migrating into the interior cavity of the turbine blade, and wherein the flexible member is configured to transform into a determined shape when the second shell member is pressed against the first shell member.

10. The wind turbine blade of claim 9 , wherein the flexible material comprises fiber reinforced plastic.

11. The wind turbine blade of claim 1 , wherein the bonding material is configured to couple the second shell member to the first shell member at the desired bond line along the first edge of the wind turbine blade.

12. The wind turbine blade of claim 1 , wherein the first edge of the wind turbine blade comprises one of a leading edge and a trailing edge of the wind turbine blade.

13. A method, comprising:
disposing a constrainer between a first shell member and a second shell member of a wind turbine blade, wherein the constrainer comprises a base section operatively coupled to the first shell member at one end of a first mating surface of the first shell member and configured to position the constrainer on the first mating surface;
disposing a bonding material between the first mating surface of the first shell member and a second mating surface of the second shell member;
pressing the second shell member against the first shell member to bond the first mating surface with the second mating surface; and
restricting, by the constrainer, the bonding material from migrating into an interior cavity of the wind turbine blade.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein restricting the bonding material comprises forcing out a first portion of the bonding material at a first edge of the wind turbine blade when the second shell member is pressed against the first shell member.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first edge of the wind turbine blade comprises one of a leading edge and a trailing edge of the wind turbine blade.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising collecting, by a collector section of the constrainer, a second portion of the bonding material that migrates from an end of a curved section of the constrainer when the second shell member is pressed against the first shell member.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein restricting the bonding material comprises positioning the constrainer between the first mating surface and the second mating surface to define one of a concave front line surface and a convex front line surface of the bonding material.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein disposing the constrainer comprises positioning the constrainer between the first mating surface and the second mating surface before pressing the second shell member against the first shell member.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein pressing the second shell member against the first shell member comprises operatively coupling the second shell member with the first shell member along a desired bond line of the wind turbine blade.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein restricting the bonding material comprises compressing the constrainer from an original curved shape of the constrainer to restrict the bonding material from migrating into the interior cavity of the turbine blade, when the second shell member is pressed against the first shell member.

21. A wind turbine, comprising:
a tower;
a nacelle mounted on top of the tower;
a rotor hub coupled to one end of the nacelle;
a plurality of turbine blades coupled to the rotor hub, wherein each of the plurality of turbine blades comprises:
a first shell member comprising a first mating surface along a first edge of the wind turbine blade;
a second shell member comprising a second mating surface along the first edge of the wind turbine blade, wherein the second mating surface is opposite to the first mating surface;
a bonding material disposed between the first mating surface and the second mating surface and configured to bond the first mating surface to the second mating surface; and
a constrainer positioned at a desired bond line and coupled to one of the first mating surface and the second mating surface, wherein the constrainer is configured to restrict the bonding material from migrating into an interior cavity of the wind turbine blade, and wherein the constrainer comprises a base section operatively coupled to the first shell member at one end of the first mating surface and configured to position the constrainer on the first mating surface.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Shair Sultan
• Merzhaeuser Thomas
• Attia Mohammad Salah

Classifications

• B29C66/324

  Avoiding burr formation · CPC title

• B29C66/14

  the joint having the same thickness as the thickness of the parts to be joined (B29C66/1142 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F03D1/0675 Primary

  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

• F16B11/006

  by gluing (gluing of plastics material B29C65/48) · CPC title