Wind turbine rotor blades with fiber reinforced portions and methods for making the same
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsJamie Thomas Livingston, Jan Bakhuis
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Abstract
Methods of manufacturing a fiber reinforced portion of a wind turbine rotor blade include disposing a continuous fiber mat adjacent a prefabricated layer, wherein the continuous fiber mat comprises randomly arranged reinforcing fibers and wherein the prefabricated layer comprises reinforcing fibers and a cured polymeric resin. The method further includes disposing a structural layer adjacent the continuous fiber mat opposite the prefabricated layer, wherein the structural layer comprises reinforcing fibers. The method then includes infusing a polymeric resin through at least the continuous fiber mat and curing the resin to form the fiber reinforced portion of the wind turbine rotor blade.
Claims20
A method of manufacturing a fiber reinforced portion of a wind turbine rotor blade, the method comprising:
- disposing a continuous fiber mat adjacent a prefabricated layer, wherein the continuous fiber mat comprises randomly arranged reinforcing fibers and wherein the prefabricated layer comprises reinforcing fibers and a cured polymeric resin;
- disposing a structural layer adjacent the continuous fiber mat opposite the prefabricated layer, wherein the structural layer comprises reinforcing fibers;
- infusing a polymeric resin through at least the continuous fiber mat;
- and,
- curing the resin to form the fiber reinforced portion of the wind turbine rotor blade.
A method of manufacturing a fiber reinforced portion of a wind turbine rotor blade, the method comprising:
- disposing a structural layer adjacent a prefabricated layer, wherein the structural layer comprises reinforcing fibers and wherein the prefabricated layer comprises reinforcing fibers and a cured polymeric resin;
- disposing a continuous fiber mat adjacent the structural layer opposite the prefabricated layer, wherein the continuous fiber mat comprises randomly arranged reinforcing fibers;
- infusing a polymeric resin through at least the continuous fiber mat;
- and,
- curing the resin to form the fiber reinforced portion of the wind turbine rotor blade.
A wind turbine rotor blade comprising a fiber reinforced portion, the fiber reinforced portion comprising:
- a prefabricated layer comprising reinforcing fibers and a cured polymeric resin;
- a continuous fiber mat adjacent the prefabricated layer, the continuous fiber mat comprising randomly arranged reinforcing fibers;
- and,
- a polymer resin infused through at least the continuous fiber mat.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.