Methods for manufacturing wind turbine rotor blade components
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsBensely Albert, Nicholas K. Althoff, Stephen Bertram Johnson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for manufacturing a rotor blade component of a rotor blade includes feeding a flat sheet of material into a thermoforming system, wherein the material comprises at least one of a thermoplastic or thermoset material. The method also includes heating the flat sheet of material via the thermoforming system. Further, the method includes shaping the heated flat sheet of material via at least one roller of the thermoforming system into a desired curved shape. Moreover, the method includes dispensing the shaped sheet of material from the thermoforming system. In addition, the method includes cooling the shaped sheet of material to form the rotor blade component.
Claims19
A method for manufacturing a rotor blade component of a rotor blade, the method comprising:
- feeding a flat sheet of material into a thermoforming system, wherein the material comprises at least one of a thermoplastic material or a thermoset material, the thermoforming system comprising a housing having an inlet and an outlet, one or more heating elements within the housing, an adjustable frame secured within the housing, at least one roller rotatably mounted to the adjustable frame within the housing, the adjustable frame being movable so as to adjust a position of the at least one roller in a horizontal direction, a vertical direction, and an annular direction, and a curved support structure for supporting the flat sheet of material as the flat sheet of material is heated via the least one heating element, the curved support structure and the least one roller configured to shape the flat sheet of material into a curved shape;
- heating the flat sheet of material via the one or more heating elements of the thermoforming system as the flat sheet of material passes through the housing;
- shaping the heated flat sheet of material into the curved shape via the curved support structure and the at least one roller by adjusting the position of the at least one roller in the horizontal direction, the vertical direction, and the annular direction and by pivoting the at least one roller via the adjustable frame by moving the adjustable frame up and down, side-to-side, and about at least one pivot point to cause the at least one roller to contact and form the heated flat sheet of material into the curved shape;
- dispensing the shaped sheet of material from the thermoforming system via the outlet;
- cooling the shaped sheet of material to at least partially form the rotor blade component;
- and
- dispensing a plurality of pultruded members directly from at least one movable pultruded member dispensing assembly into the shaped sheet of material.
A thermoforming system for manufacturing a rotor blade component for a rotor blade, the thermoforming system comprising:
- a housing comprising a first end and second end and an inlet and outlet, the system also having one or more heating elements within the housing, an adjustable frame, a curved support structure, and at least one movable pultruded member dispensing assembly, the first end of the housing adapted to receive a flat sheet of material and the curved support structure adapted to support the flat sheet of material, the at least one heating element at least partially contained within the housing, the at least one heating element configured to heat the flat sheet of material, the adjustable frame secured within the housing and being adapted to move so as to adjust a position of at least one roller, rotatably mounted to the adjustable frame within the housing, in a horizontal direction, a vertical direction, and an annular direction, the curved support structure and the least one roller configured to shape the flat sheet of material into a curved shape by pivoting the at least one roller via the adjustable frame and by moving the adjustable frame up and down, side-to-side, and about at least one pivot point to cause the at least one roller to contact and form the heated flat sheet of material into the curved shape, and the at least one movable pultruded member dispensing assembly adapted to dispense a plurality of pultruded members directly into the curved shape.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.