Wind turbine blades with improved bond line
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorRobert Andrew Dixon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wind turbine blade includes an upper shell member and a lower shell member defining an internal cavity therebetween. The shell members are joined with a bond paste along bond lines at the leading edge and trailing edge of the blade. A seal member is disposed between the upper and lower shell members at a designed width of the bond line along at least one of the trailing or leading edges. The seal member comprises a dam on each of the lower and upper shell members that overlap in a mated configuration of the shell members.
Claims14
A wind turbine blade, said blade comprising:
- an upper shell member and a lower shell member defining an internal cavity therebetween;
- said upper and lower shell members joined with a bond paste along bond lines at a leading edge and a trailing edge of said blade;
- a seal member disposed between said upper and lower shell members at a designed width of said bond line along at least one of said trailing or leading edges;
- said seal member having a configuration such that excess flowable bond paste is prevented from migrating past said seal member and into said internal cavity upon mating said upper and lower shell members in assembly of said blade;
- and
- said seal member comprising a dam on each of said lower and upper shell members, each of said dams having longitudinal sides extending from the respective said shell member towards the opposite said shell member, and said dams offset so as to align and overlap along said longitudinal sides of said dam members in a mated configuration of said upper and lower shell members.
A wind turbine, said wind turbine comprising a plurality of turbine blades, at least one of said turbine blades comprising:
- an upper shell member and a lower shell member defining an internal cavity therebetween;
- said upper and lower shell members joined with a bond paste along bond lines at a leading edge and a trailing edge of said blade;
- a seal member disposed between said upper and lower shell members at a designed width of said bond line along at least one of said trailing or leading edges;
- said seal member having a configuration such that excess flowable bond paste is prevented from migrating past said seal member and into said internal cavity upon mating said upper and lower shell members in assembly of said blade;
- and
- said seal member comprising a dam on each of said lower and upper shell members, each of said dams having longitudinal sides extending from the respective said shell member towards the opposite said shell member, and said dams offset so as to align and overlap along said longitudinal sides of said dam members in a mated configuration of said upper and lower shell members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.