Wind turbine rotor blade
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsThomas Merzhaeuser, Sara Simonne Louisa Delport
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rotor blade for addressing the deflection of rotor blades of a wind turbine. The rotor blade includes a plurality of exterior surfaces defining a blade body having a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge and a trailing edge. The blade body extending between a blade tip and a blade root. The blade body including a breakaway tip portion defined by a predetermined breaking point. The breakaway tip portion is configured to break away from the remaining portion of the blade body when subject to a predetermined tower strike load. A wind turbine including the rotor blade configuration is further disclosed.
Claims22
A wind turbine rotor blade comprising:
- a plurality of exterior surfaces defining a blade body having a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge and a trailing edge, the blade body extending between a blade tip and a blade root, the rotor blade defining a span and a chord, and
- the blade body including a breakaway tip portion and a predetermined breaking point, the predetermined breaking point defined by a banding of material having a reduced strength margin from that of a material forming a remainder of the blade body,
- wherein the breakaway tip portion is configured to break away at the predetermined breaking point upon deflection of the blade body resulting in an impact of the breakaway tip portion with a tower.
A wind turbine, the wind turbine comprising a plurality of rotor blade assemblies, at least one of the rotor blade assemblies comprising:
- a suction side surface and a pressure side surface, and defining a span and a chord, the suction side surface and the pressure side surface defining a blade body extending between a blade tip and a blade root,
- the blade body including a breakaway tip portion and a predetermined breaking point defining a point at which the breakaway tip portion may break away, the predetermined breaking point defined by a banding of material having a reduced strength margin from that of a material forming the blade tip and a remaining portion of the blade body,
- wherein the breakaway tip portion is configured to break away at the predetermined breaking point upon deflection of the blade body resulting in an impact of the breakaway tip portion with a tower.
A wind turbine comprising:
- a tower;
- a hub;
- and
- at least one rotor blade rotatably connected to the hub, the at least one rotor blade rotatable in response to wind impinging upon the at least one rotor blade, the rotor blade comprising:
- a suction side surface and a pressure side surface, and defining a span and a chord, the suction side surface and the pressure side surface defining a blade body extending between a blade tip and a blade root,
- the blade body including a breakaway tip portion and a predetermined breaking point defined by a banding of material having a reduced strength margin from that of a material forming a remainder of the blade body, wherein the breakaway tip portion is configured to break away at the predetermined breaking point upon deflection of the blade body resulting in an impact of the breakaway tip portion with the tower.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.