Roll of structural material, it's method of making and a method of making a wind turbine blade
AssigneeVestas Wind Systems A/S
InventorsZhen-Zhe Chen, Morten Taulbjerg
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A roll (16) of structural material for use in the manufacture of large composite structures such as wind turbine blades is described. The roll (16) comprises an elongate stack of structural layers (10) fastened together and wrapped around a reel (14). The reel (14) comprises a plurality of mutually spaced supports (50) about which the stack is folded into a rolled stack. Sections of the rolled stack between the supports are substantially unsupported by the reel and are held in a slack state in order to prevent wrinkles from forming in the rolled stack.
Claims20
A roll of structural material having fibres for making a wind turbine blade comprising:
- a. an elongate stack comprising a plurality of layers of structural material stacked one on top of another and held together by fastening means and configured to be placed in a wind turbine blade mould;
- and
- b. a reel having a plurality of mutually spaced supports about which the stack is folded to form a rolled stack;
- wherein the reel is configured such that the rolled stack is supported by the supports and sections of the rolled stack between the supports are substantially unsupported by the reel and are thereby in a slack state;
- wherein the layers are fastened together along a plurality of fastening lines extending in a widthwise direction of the stack, the fastening lines being spaced at intervals in a longitudinal direction of the stack;
- and
- wherein the supports of the reel are mutually spaced apart by a distance greater than the intervals between fastening lines.
A method of making a roll of structural material having fibres for making a wind turbine blade, the method comprising:
- a. stacking a plurality of layers of structural material one on top of another to form a stack;
- b. fastening the layers together along a plurality of fastening lines extending in a widthwise direction of the stack, the fastening lines being spaced at intervals in a longitudinal direction of the stack;
- c. providing a reel having a plurality of supports mutually spaced apart, wherein the supports of the reel are mutually spaced apart by a distance greater than the intervals between fastening lines;
- and
- d. folding the stack around the supports to form a rolled stack, wherein the rolled stack is supported by the supports and sections of the rolled stack between the supports are substantially unsupported by the reel and are thereby in a slack state, and wherein the stack is configured to be placed in a wind turbine blade mould.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.