# US 2014/0154091 A1 · Efficient wind turbine blades, wind turbine blade structures, and associated systems and methods of manufacture, assembly and use

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- Number: US 2014/0154091 A1
- Document ID: US20140154091A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/951,727
- Filed: 2013-07-26
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2008-12-05
- Assignees: Modular Wind Energy, Inc.
- Applicants: Modular Wind Energy, Inc.
- Inventors: Myles L. Baker; Cory P. Arendt; Bernard G. Madrid; Sheldon Vilhauer
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140154091A1

## CPC

- F03D 1/0675: {of the blades}
- B29C 70/304: {In-plane lamination by juxtaposing or interleaving of plies, e.g. scarf joining}
- F03D 13/10: Assembly of wind motors; Arrangements for erecting wind motors
- B29D 99/0028: {hollow blades}
- B29L 2031/085: {Wind turbine blades}
- F05B 2240/30: Characteristics of rotor blades, i.e. of any element transforming dynamic fluid energy to or from rotational energy and being attached to a rotor
- F05B 2240/302: Segmented or sectional blades
- Y02E 10/72: Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
- Y02E 10/74: Wind turbines with rotation axis perpendicular to the wind direction
- Y02P 70/50: Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
- Y10T 29/49316: Impeller making
- Y10T 29/49337: Composite blade
- Y10T 29/49339: Hollow blade
- Y10T 156/10: Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
- F03D: WIND MOTORS
- B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00)
- B29D: PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE (making granules B29B9/00; making preforms B29B11/00)
- B29L: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
- F05B: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

Wind turbine systems and methods are disclosed herein. A representative system includes a wind turbine blade having an inner region that has an internal load-bearing truss structure, and an outer region that has an internal, non-truss, load-bearing structure. In particular embodiments, the truss structure can include a triangular arrangement of spars, and/or can include truss attachment members that connect components of the truss without the use of holes in the spars. Spars can be produced from a plurality of pultruded composite members laminated together in longitudinally extending portions. The longitudinally extending portions can be connected at joints that interleave projections and recesses of each of the spar portions. The blades can include fan-shaped transitions at a hub attachment portion, formed by laminated layers and/or a combination of laminated layers and transition plates.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A wind turbine system, comprising:
a wind turbine blade having a radially inner region and a radially outer region, wherein:
the inner region includes a hub attachment element, an internal load-bearing truss structure extending longitudinally outwardly from the hub attachment element, and an external skin carried by the internal truss structure; and
the outer region is positioned longitudinally outwardly from the internal truss structure, is attached to the internal truss structure, and has an internal load-bearing structure that does not include a load-bearing truss structure, the outer region further including a blade tip.

### Claim at position 2

2-130. (canceled)