# US 2014/0154089 A1 · Profiled protective tape for rotor blades of wind turbine generators

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- Number: US 2014/0154089 A1
- Document ID: US20140154089A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/235,542
- Filed: 2011-07-29
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2011-07-29
- Assignees: 3M Innovative Properties Company
- Inventors: Steffen Traser; Bernd Kuehneweg; Christian Claus; Jan D. Forster
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140154089A1

## CPC

- F03D 1/0675: {of the blades}
- B32B 37/24: with at least one layer not being coherent before laminating, e.g. made up from granular material sprinkled onto a substrate (B32B37/15 takes precedence)
- C09J 5/08: using foamed adhesives
- C09J 7/20: characterised by their carriers
- C09J 7/385: {Acrylic polymers}
- C09J 2301/204: the adhesive coating being discontinuous
- C09J 2301/208: the adhesive layer being constituted by at least two or more adjacent or superposed adhesive layers, e.g. multilayer adhesive
- C09J 2475/006: in the substrate
- Y02E 10/72: Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
- Y10T 156/10: Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
- Y10T 428/24496: Foamed or cellular component
- Y10T 428/24521: with component conforming to contour of nonplanar surface
- Y10T 428/24612: Composite web or sheet
- F03D: WIND MOTORS
- B32B: LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
- C09J: ADHESIVES; NON-MECHANICAL ASPECTS OF ADHESIVE PROCESSES IN GENERAL; ADHESIVE PROCESSES NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE; USE OF MATERIALS AS ADHESIVES (preparation of glue or gelatine C09H)
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A multilayer protective tape for rotor blades of wind energy turbines said tape having a protective top layer comprising a polymer film and an adhesive bottom layer, wherein the top layer has a continuous surface (S) that is outwardly curved or outwardly trapezoidal surface such that the tape has a cross-sectional profile having an inner section between two lateral sections and wherein the inner section has a thickness (Ti) made up by the thickness of the top layer and adhesive bottom layer that is greater than the thickness of at least one of the lateral sections (T1,T2) made up by the thickness of the top layer and adhesive bottom layer and wherein the thickness (T1 or T2) of at least one lateral section is at most 600 μm and the thickness of the inner section (Ti) is at least 330 μm. Also provided are processes for making profiled tapes and methods for applying the tapes to rotor blades and blades containing protective tapes.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A multilayer protective tape for rotor blades of wind energy turbines said tape having a protective top layer comprising a polymer film and an adhesive bottom layer, wherein the top layer has a continuous surface (S) that is outwardly curved or outwardly trapezoidal such that the tape has a cross-sectional profile having an inner section between two lateral sections and wherein the inner section has a thickness (Ti) made up by the thickness of the top layer and adhesive bottom layer that is greater than the thickness of at least one of the lateral sections (T1,T2) made up by the thickness of the top layer and adhesive bottom layer and wherein the thickness (T1 or T2) of at least one lateral section is at most 600 μm and the thickness of the inner section (Ti) is at least 330 μm.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The tape according to claim 1 wherein the inner section comprises up to 95% of the width of the tape.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The tape according to claim 1 wherein the cross-sectional profile of the tape is symmetric or non symmetric.

### Claim 4

The tape according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the adhesive bottom layer has an upper surface facing the top layer and a bottom surface opposite thereto and wherein the bottom surface is patterned to comprise a plurality of grooves or dots.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The tape according to claim 1 wherein the adhesive bottom layer comprises across its thickness at least two adhesive layers of which one adhesive layer comprises a foam adhesive.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The tape according to claim 1 wherein the adhesive layer is prepared by a wet-in-wet coating process.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The tape according to claim 1 wherein the top layer is of uniform thickness.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The tape according to claim 1 wherein the top layer is outwardly curved.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The tape according to claim 1 having a thickness at its inner section (Ti) of from 400 μm up to 5,000 μm and a thickness at least one.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The tape according to claim 1 wherein the adhesive layer comprises an acrylic adhesive.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The tape according to claim 1 wherein the top layer comprises a polyurethane.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

Method of protecting a rotor blade of a wind turbine from erosion comprising
providing a protective tape according to claim 1 and adhering it to the rotor blade.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

Method of protecting a rotor blade from erosion comprising (i) providing a protective tape according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive bottom layer has an upper surface facing the top layer and a bottom surface opposite thereto and wherein the bottom surface is patterned to comprise a plurality of grooves or dots;
(ii) applying a liquid adhesive to the rotor blade, to the patterned bottom surface of the tape or both, and (iii) attaching the tape to the rotor blade.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

A rotor blade comprising around its leading edge a protective tape according to claim 1, wherein the lateral sides of the tape face the trailing edge of the blade.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

Process of forming a multilayer tape according to claim 1 comprising:
(i) providing a substrate;
(ii) providing in a coating chamber a coating knife having a profiled recess at its lower end facing the substrate and which forms a gap normal to the surface of the substrate;
(iii) moving the substrate relative to the coating knife in a downstream direction;
(iv) providing to the upstream side of the coating knife a curable adhesive thereby coating an adhesive layer onto the substrate through the gap;
(v) providing a polymer film to the upstream side of the coating knife and feeding the film simultaneously with the adhesive layer through the recess of the coating knife, wherein the film is positioned between the recess and the adhesive layer;
(vi) curing the adhesive of the multilayer tape thus obtained, wherein the profiled recess of the coating knife and the size of the gap between the coating knife and the substrate define the cross-sectional profile of the tape.