Injection method and device for connecting and repairing a shear web
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorDarren John Danielsen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and device for connecting and repairing a shear web includes the method steps of dry-fitting a shear web insert in a rotor blade assembly to establish a perimeter gap at an angled perimeter interface between the shear web insert and the rotor blade assembly, the angled perimeter interface positioned between the shear web insert and at least one adjacent surface of a first shear web, a second shear web, a first side of the rotor blade assembly, and a second side of the rotor blade assembly, and then injecting a bonding paste into the perimeter gap. The rotor blade assembly can include a connecting device having at least one pre-fabricated clip.
Claims17
A method for connecting and repairing a shear web, the method comprising:
- dry-fitting a shear web insert in a rotor blade assembly to establish a perimeter gap at an angled perimeter interface between the shear web insert and the rotor blade assembly, the shear web insert defining a first side face and an opposing, second side face, the angled perimeter interface positioned between the shear web insert and at least one adjacent surface comprising a first shear web, a second shear web, a first side of the rotor blade assembly, and a second side of the rotor blade assembly;
- forming the angled perimeter interface such that a first gap is defined between the first side face of the shear web insert and the at least one adjacent surface, and a second gap is defined between the second side face of the shear web insert and the at least one adjacent surface;
- and
- injecting a bonding paste into the perimeter gap.
A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine, the rotor blade assembly comprising a first side and a second side, wherein the first side of the rotor blade assembly corresponds to one of a pressure side or a suction side of the rotor blade assembly, and an opposite second side of the rotor blade assembly corresponds to the other pressure side or suction side of the rotor blade assembly, the rotor blade assembly comprising:
- a first blade segment defining a joint end, the first blade segment including a first shear web with an angled interface at the joint end;
- a second blade segment coupled to the joint end of the first blade segment, the second blade segment including a second shear web with an angled interface at the joint end;
- at least one first connecting device coupled across at least a portion of the joint end, the at least one first connecting device coupled at least partially on a first side face of at least one of the first shear web and the second shear web;
- at least one second connecting device coupled across at least a portion of the joint end, the at least one second connecting device coupled at least partially on an opposing, second side face of at least one of the first shear web and the second shear web;
- a shear web insert positioned between the first shear web and second shear web, the shear web insert defining a perimeter gap at an angled perimeter interface between the shear web insert and the angled interfaces of the first and second shear webs;
- and,
- bonding paste injected into the angled perimeter interface, wherein the bonding paste is configured to overflow the perimeter gap such that the bonding paste squeezes out from the perimeter gap on both the first and second side faces of the shear web insert.
A connecting device assembly, comprising;
- first and second connecting devices each comprising at least one pre-fabricated clip comprising horizontal and vertical portions, the horizontal portions of the at least one pre-fabricated clip coupled to at least one of an inner surface of a first side of the rotor blade assembly or an inner surface of an opposite, second side of the rotor blade assembly, wherein the vertical portions of at least two of the pre-fabricated clips extend from the respective horizontal portions in opposing directions a sufficient distance to couple with an opposing vertical portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.