Rotor blade assembly with shim plate for mitigating pitch bearing loads

A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine, the rotor blade assembly comprising:

• a rotor blade including a body extending between a blade root and a blade tip;
• a pitch bearing comprising an outer race, an inner race, and a plurality of roller elements between the outer race and the inner race such that the inner race is rotatable relative to the outer race, the outer race being coupled to a hub of the wind turbine;
• and
• at least one shim plate configured between the outer race and the hub, wherein the shim plate is configured to mitigate loads in the pitch bearing.

A method for mitigating loads in a pitch bearing of a wind turbine, the method comprising:

• providing a rotor blade configured to couple to a hub of a wind turbine via the pitch bearing, the pitch bearing comprising and outer race and an inner race;
• identifying at least one location on the pitch bearing experiencing a loading;
• installing at least one shim plate at the identified location;
• and,
• securing the rotor blade to the hub of the wind turbine via the pitch bearing such that the shim plate mitigates the loading in the pitch bearing during operation of the wind turbine.