General Electric Company

Dustin Jon Wambeke

Bharat S Bagepalli

Scott Gabell Riddell

John Paul Davis

Nicholas Keane Althoff

Timothy Michael Grzybowski

A simple and safe means is provided to gain entry into the rotor hub of a wind turbine for maintenance operations within the hub. A ladder-like structure is mounted onto the rotor hub using the same bolts attaching a fixed outer race of the pitch bearing for the rotor blades. The ladder-like structure has integral with it a protective cage to the front, forming a basket. Structural elements for grasping are provided to a worker over the full path traversed from the nacelle to the entry hatch of the hub. An expanded area between rungs may be provided to facilitate entry by a service worker into the safety cage area. Lifting ears made also be formed with tubular sections integrated into the ladder-like structure.

Spinner-less hub access and lifting system for a wind turbine

A method of assembling a tower for use with a wind turbine is provided. The method includes providing a plurality of tower segments. Each tower segment includes a first interface and a second interface. The method also includes bonding the first interface of a first tower segment to the second interface of a second tower segment using an adhesive composition.

Wind tower and method of assembling the same

A method of producing a shear web for a wind turbine blade includes providing a mold generally conforming to a shape of at least a portion of a shear web; and filling the mold with a closed cell structural foam.

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Greenville, SC, United States of America

Dustin Jon Wambeke