Vestas Wind Systems A/s

Chris Davey

Raul Garcia Tapia

A method of making a root end of a wind turbine blade is described. The root end has a root end surface that connects to a wind turbine hub via a pitch bearing when the blade is installed on a wind turbine, and the method comprises providing a plurality of bores in the root end of the blade, each bore extending axially into the blade and having an opening defined at the root end surface; providing a plurality of plugs, each plug having a substantially solid first end portion; inserting the plugs into the respective bores each to a depth whereby the first end portions of the respective plugs extend inside the bores and form a seal against an internal surface of the bore and a sacrificial portion of the first end portion of each plug protrudes from the opening of the respective bore at the root end surface; and machining the root end surface to form a substantially flat root end surface for interfacing with the pitch bearing, wherein the step of machining the root end surface comprises removing the protruding sacrificial portions of the protruding plugs leaving the remaining first end portions of the respective plugs substantially flush with the root end surface.

Wind turbine blade manufacture

An apparatus comprising elongated first and second moulds () extending in parallel, a drive mechanism () to move said second mould in relation to said first mould, from a first position to a second position so as to form a mould assembly, and a transport system comprising a movable part () movable along the first mould and/or the second mould and supported by an elongated intermediate support member () located between the moulds, the intermediate support member moving from a support position in which it supports the movable part, to a non-interference position in which interference with the moulds and/or the mould drive mechanism is avoided when said second mould is moved from the first position to the second position, the transport system comprising a securing device () for locking the intermediate support member in the support position.

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Salisbury, United Kingdom

Chris Davey