Blade Dynamics Limited

General Electric Company

Harald Behmer

Paul Trevor Hayden

Peter Anthony Broome

Mark Hancock

Manish Mukherjee

Harry Fish

Nicholas Michael Seruntine

Mark Thomas Noonan

Matthew Carmichael

Michael Blanc

Andrew Stuart Edge

Peter Broome

The present invention relates to a non-woven fabric comprising one or more fibre layers each comprising a plurality of fibres arranged along a fibre direction, wherein the non-woven fabric comprises a plurality of stitching rows, each stitching row comprising one or more threads arranged along a stitch direction, for maintaining arrangement of the plurality of fibres in the one or more fibre layers relative to each other, wherein at least one thread comprises a binding agent. The present invention further relates to preforms comprising the non-woven fabric according to the present invention and methods for producing the non-woven fabric, preforms and wind turbine blades.

Fabric comprising binding agent threads

A sparcap for a spar structure inside a wind turbine blade is provided. A down conductor element is integrated on a side of the sparcap such that after assembly of the sparcap into the spar structure, the down conductor element extends along an outer corner of the spar structure.

Spar structure with integrated down conductor element for lightning protection system

A rotor blade assembly includes a rotor blade defining a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. Further, the rotor blade assembly includes at least one structural feature secured within the rotor blade and spaced apart from the trailing edge to define a void between the pressure side, the suction side, and the trailing edge. Moreover, the rotor blade assembly includes an adhesive filling the void between the pressure side, the suction side, and the trailing edge to provide an adhesive connection between the pressure side, the suction side, the trailing edge, and the structural feature(s). In addition, the adhesive contacts the structural feature(s) at an interface and defines a fillet profile.

Wind turbine rotor blade assembly having a structural trailing edge

A wind turbine blade and a method of moulding a wind turbine blade tip section. The overall wind turbine blade has an elongate structure extending in a radial sense in a finished wind turbine. The blade comprises a fairing that one is supported along its length by a spar extended along the full length of the fairing from the root end to the tip. The fairing is in two parts with a main part extending from the root for most the of the longitudinal length of the blade and the tip section forming the remainder of the blade.

Wind turbine blade and a method of moulding a wind turbine blade tip section

A composite member comprises first and second elongate composite elements. Each has a wedge shaped end with a complimentary tapered end surface. At least one of the components is formed of a stack of fiber layers impregnated in resin, with the tapered end surface being formed by each fiber layer extending longitudinally progressively further than the adjacent layer towards the thin end of the wedge at which the fiber layers have the greatest longitudinal extent. The components are joined at their tapered ends by an adhesive, and the properties of the cured composite material of the at least one component and/or the properties of the adhesive are different in the vicinity of the thin end of the wedge as compared to the rest of the tapered surface in order to reduce the stress concentrations in this region.

Composite member

An erosion resistant aerodynamic fairing for a rotor blade. A fairing body is formed from at least one reinforcing fiber layer set in a cured resin. An erosion resistant pre-form is fixed to an outer surface of the fairing body. The erosion resistant pre-form comprises a thermoplastic film outer layer fused to a fiber substrate. The fiber substrate of the erosion resistant pre-form is impregnated with the cured resin of the fairing body which fixes at the preform to the fairing body.

Erosion resistant aerodynamic fairing

The present disclosure is directed to a method of forming a root portion of a wind turbine rotor blade. A plurality of alignment pins coupled to an alignment plate is aligned with a first set of a plurality of insert cavities defined by a prefabricated panel. Each alignment pin is positioned within one of a first set of a plurality of installation apertures defined by the alignment plate. The prefabricated panel and the alignment plate are coupled such that each alignment pin is positioned within one of the first set of the plurality of insert cavities. A first adhesive is placed in each of the second set of the plurality of insert cavities. A first set of inserts are placed into a second set of the plurality of insert cavities. The first set of inserts and the alignment plate are coupled, and the first adhesive is cured.

Method of forming wind turbine rotor blade root portions

A method of forming a structural connection between a spar capand an aerodynamic fairing. A composite comprising an uncured matrix and a compressible solid is applied between the spar cap and fairing and is then compressed and cured to adhere the fairing to the spar cap. The cured matrix composite has a void volume of at least 20%. The high void volume means that as the fairing is compressed into place and compresses the composite, it has space in which to deform so as not to place undue stress on the fairing and to produce a lightweight connection.

Method of forming a structural connection between a spar cap and a fairing for a wind turbine blade

A modular fiber reinforced plastic flange for a structural composite beam which comprises a body formed of a plurality of elongate elements arranged in an array, wherein the dimensions of the body are substantially determined by the number and arrangement of the elongate elements in the array, and a skin member at least partially surrounding the array. Also, a structural composite beam comprising the modular fiber reinforced plastic flange and a shear web connected to the skin member of the modular flange. A method of making the modular flange and beams, and a kit of parts for making the modular flange are also disclosed.

Modular structural composite beam

A wind turbine blade comprising an aerodynamic fairing supported along at least a portion of its axial length by a spar (). The spar comprises at least two spar segments () joined end-to-end at an interface (), each spar segment comprising a shear web () with a spar cap () on each side. The outer face () of each spar cap tapers inwardly towards the interface such that its depth is reduced towards the interface creating a recess on each side of the interface formed by the tapered faces of adjacent spar caps. A respective connection piece () is sized to fit into each recess. Each connection piece () is sized to fit into each recess. Each connection piece () being fixed to the tapered faces of adjacent spar caps to form a double scarf joint.

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Newport, United Kingdom

Harald Behmer