Wind turbine rotor blade and method of construction
AssigneeTPI Composites, Inc.
InventorZachary Brekenfeld
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wind turbine rotor blade is bonded together at the leading and trailing edges, and including a shear web or webs (the main vertical stiffening member that runs the span of the rotor blade) as an integral part, sharing the inner and outer skins of one or both sides of the blade. The integrated shear web(s) is made into the skin shell, and is an uninterrupted, continuous extension of the shell laminate that is joined to the shell component/components without requiring a secondary bond of any sort. The laminates in the shell and the shear web(s) may differ or be the same.
Claims20
A wind turbine rotor blade that is constructed in the form of an airfoil shape, and comprised of a one pressure member and an other pressure member that together are interconnected to form the airfoil shape, and a shear web member that is constructed and arranged to span across the pressure members, said shear web member having opposite respective one and other ends, the one end of the shear web member including at least one spar cap that is integrally formed with the one pressure member at a location therealong, the other end of the shear web member including a bonding flange for securing the other end of the shear web member to the other pressure member at a location therealong.
A method of manufacturing a wind turbine rotor blade that is constructed in the form of an airfoil shape, and comprising, providing a two part mold, providing a first pressure member having a partial air foil shape and for disposition in one part of the mold, providing a second pressure member that also has a partial air foil shape and for disposition in another part of the mold, providing a shear web member having one and other ends and meant to bridge across the pressure members spanning a length of the pressure members, forming the one end of the shear web member integrally with an inner surface of the one pressure member, the other end of the shear web member having a bonding flange for securing the other end of the shear web member to the other pressure member when the mold is closed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.