Perforated vacuum membrane for fibre reinforced laminates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9957949-B2
Application number	US-201414262717-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2014
Priority date	May 2, 2013
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

A composite component for a wind turbine blade is provided. The composite component includes a stack of at least one fiber layer and a membrane which has a first surface and a second surface which is an opposite surface with respect to the first surface. The membrane is arranged with the first surface on top of the stack. The membrane is perforated with openings, wherein the membrane is formed in such a way that the openings are permeable for a fluid flowing along a first direction directing from the first surface to the second surface and impermeable for a fluid flowing along a second direction directing from the second surface to the first surface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A composite component for a wind turbine blade, wherein the composite component is configured to form at least part of the wind turbine blade, the composite component comprising:
a stack of at least one fibre layer, and
a membrane which has a first surface and a second surface which is an opposite surface with respect to the first surface,
wherein the membrane is arranged with the first surface on top of the stack,
wherein the membrane is perforated with openings,
wherein the membrane is formed such that the openings are
permeable for a fluid flowing along a first direction directed from the first surface to the second surface, and
impermeable for a fluid flowing along a second direction directed from the second surface to the first surface

wherein the membrane comprises at least one elastic seal lip surrounding one of the openings at the second surface
wherein the elastic seal lip is formed such that
the seal lip is pressed together to close the respective opening if a second pressure (Pb) of the fluid applied at the first surface is lower than a first pressure (Pa) of the fluid applied at the second surface, and
the seal lip is elastically deformed and edges of the seal lip are bent away from the respective opening to open the respective opening if the second pressure (Pb) of the fluid applied at the first surface is higher than the first pressure (Pa) of the fluid applied at the second surface.

2. The composite component according to claim 1 , wherein the fluid flowing along the first direction is a first fluid and wherein the fluid flowing along the second direction is a second fluid different than the first fluid.

3. The composite component according to claim 2 , wherein the first fluid is resin and the second fluid is air and wherein the at least one fibre layer of the stack is a plurality of fibre layers.

4. The composite component according to claim 1 , further comprising
a further stack with at least one further fibre layer arranged on the second surface of the membrane.

5. The composite component according to claim 1 ,
wherein the membrane comprises a degradable material.

6. The composite component according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least one of the openings has a cone-like shape with a base area and a cone end,
wherein the base area is formed at the first surface and the cone area is formed at the second surface,
wherein the seal lip is formed at the cone area.

7. A method for manufacturing the composite component of claim 1 , wherein the composite component comprises the membrane and the stack of at least one fibre layer, the method comprising
arranging the membrane with the first surface on top of the stack.

8. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising:
pressing the elastic seal lip together based on the second pressure (Pb) of the fluid applied at the first surface being lower than the first pressure (Pa) of the fluid applied at the second surface; and
closing the opening based on the pressing the elastic seal lip together such that the opening is impermeable to the fluid flowing along the second direction.

9. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising:
deforming the elastic seal lip by bending the edges of the seal lip away from the respective opening based on the second pressure (Pb) of the fluid applied at the first surface being higher than the first pressure (Pa) of the fluid applied at the second surface; and
opening the opening based on the deforming the elastic seal lip such that the opening is permeable to the fluid flowing along the first direction.

10. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising
arranging a further stack of at least one further fibre layer onto the second surface of the membrane.

11. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising
arranging the stack and the membrane into a mould, and
applying an underpressure between the membrane and the mould such that the membrane and the stack are pressed against the mould.

12. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising
applying a further mould such that the stack and the membrane are located between the mould and the further mould.

13. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising
injecting resin through the at least one fibre layer of the stack and the membrane along the first direction.

14. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising
degrading the membrane by a physical and/or chemical degradation of the membrane.

15. A composite component for a wind turbine blade, wherein the composite component is configured to form at least part of the wind turbine blade, the composite component comprising
a first stack of at least one fibre layer,
a second stack of at least one fibre layer,
a membrane which has a first surface and a second surface which is an opposite surface with respect to the first surface,
wherein the membrane is arranged with the first surface on top of the first stack and with the second stack arranged on the second surface,
wherein the membrane is perforated with openings,
wherein the membrane is formed such that the openings are
permeable for a fluid flowing along a first direction directed from the first surface to the second surface, and
impermeable for a fluid flowing along a second direction directed from the second surface to the first surface;

wherein the membrane comprises an elastic seal lip surrounding one of the openings, wherein the elastic seal lip is pressed together based on a second pressure (Pb) of the fluid applied at the first surface being lower than a first pressure (Pa) of the fluid applied at the second surface such that the opening is impermeable for the fluid flowing along the second direction and wherein the elastic seal lip is elastically deformed and edges of the seal lip are bent away from the opening based on the second pressure (Pb) of the fluid applied at the first surface being greater than the first pressure (Pa) of the fluid applied at the second surface such that the opening is permeable for the fluid flowing along the first direction.

16. The composite component according to claim 15 ,
wherein at least one of the openings has a cone-like shape with a base area and a cone end,
wherein the base area is formed at the first surface and the cone area is formed at the second surface,
wherein the seal lip is formed at the cone area.

Assignees

• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Kybelund Peter

Classifications

• F03D1/0675 Primary

  of the blades · CPC title

• B29C70/547

  using channels or porous distribution layers incorporated in or associated with the product · CPC title

• B29C70/443

  and impregnating by vacuum or injection · CPC title

• Y10T29/49337

  Composite blade · CPC title

• Y10T428/249941

  Fiber is on the surface of a polymeric matrix having no embedded portion · CPC title