Methods for manufacturing spar caps for wind turbine rotor blades

A method for manufacturing a spar cap of a rotor blade of a wind turbine, the method comprising:

• pultruding an outer frame of the spar cap via at least one of three-dimensional (3D) pultrusion or two-dimensional (2D) pultrusion, the outer frame having a varying cross-section that corresponds to a varying cross-section of the rotor blade along a span thereof, wherein pultruding the outer frame of the spar cap further comprises pultruding extended side edges of the outer frame, the extended side edges configured as shear clips for attaching to a shear web of the rotor blade;
• arranging a plurality of structural materials within the pultruded outer frame of the spar cap, the plurality of structural materials comprising at least one of thermoplastic or thermoset plies or pultruded members;
• folding the extended side edges towards a center of the outer frame so as to retain the plurality of structural materials therein;
• infusing the plurality of structural materials and the pultruded outer frame together via a resin material so as to form the spar cap;
• and,
• allowing the spar cap to cure.