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US 8,025,485 B2Granted
Wind turbine blade attachment configuration with flattened bolts
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorEric Morgan Jacobsen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A wind turbine includes a plurality of turbine blades, with each of the blades having a root flange that attaches to a flange of a rotor hub by a plurality of circumferentially spaced blade bolts. The blade bolts have opposite cylindrical end sections engaged within the rotor hub flange and blade root flange, respectively, and a non-cylindrical shank extending between the cylindrical end sections. At least one flattened side is defined in the shank along a longitudinal axis of the bolt.
Claims13
A wind turbine, comprising:
- a plurality of turbine blades, each of said blades having a root flange that attaches to a flange of a rotor hub by a plurality of circumferentially spaced blade bolts;
- each said blade bolt comprising:
- opposite cylindrical end sections engaged within said rotor hub flange and said blade root flange, respectively;
- a shank extending between said cylindrical end sections;
- and
- oppositely facing flattened sides defined in said shank along a longitudinal axis of said bolt;
- wherein said shank has radiused side edges with a diameter measured between said side edges and a thickness measured perpendicular to said flattened sides, and wherein said diameter is generally equal to or less than a full roll diameter of said blade bolt.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.