General Electric Company

Mohammad Salah Attia

Thomas Merzhaeuser

Andrew Mitchell Rodwell

Peggy Lynn Baehmann

Amir Riahi

Donald Joseph Kasperski

Chandra Sekher Yerramalli

Sultan Shair

Jianqiang Chen

Rohit Agarwal

Matthew Brian Dudon

Haifeng Zhao

Ken Ivcar Salas

A rotor blade includes a first blade segment and a second blade segment extending in opposite directions from a chord-wise joint. Each of the first and second blade segments has at least one shell member defining an airfoil surface. The first blade segment includes a beam structure having a receiving end with at least one span-wise extending pin extending therefrom. The second blade segment includes a receiving section that receives the beam structure. The receiving section includes a chord-wise member having a pin joint slot defined therethrough. The pin joint slot receives the span-wise extending pin at the receiving end of the beam structure so as to secure the first and second blade segments together. Moreover, the chord-wise member, the pin joint slot, and/or the span-wise extending pin includes at least one compliant structure formed of a compliant material that allows a deformation thereof to follow a shear deformation of the rotor blade.

Compliant structures for jointed rotor blades

A rotor blade for a wind turbine includes a first blade segment and a second blade segment extending in opposite directions from a chord-wise joint. Each of the first and second blade segments includes at least one shell member defining an airfoil surface. The rotor blade also includes one or more pin joints for connecting the first and second blade segments at the chord-wise joint. The pin joint(s) includes one or more pin joint tubes received within the pin joint slot(s). The pin joint slot(s) are secured within a bearing block. Further, a gap is defined between the pin joint slot(s) and the bearing block. Moreover, the rotor blade includes a shim within the gap between the pin joint slot(s) and the bearing block so as to retain the pin joint slot(s) within the bearing block. In addition, the shim is constructed of a liquid material that hardens after being poured into the gap.

Method for installing and retaining a bushing in a bearing block of a rotor blade joint

A wind turbine blade includes a first shell member including a first mating surface along a first edge of the wind turbine blade. Also, the wind turbine blade includes a second shell member including a second mating surface along the first edge of the wind turbine blade, wherein the second mating surface is opposite to the first mating surface. Further, the wind turbine blade includes a bonding material disposed between the first mating surface and the second mating surface and configured to bond the first mating surface to the second mating surface. Moreover, the wind turbine blade includes a constrainer positioned at a desired bond line and coupled to one of the first mating surface and the second mating surface, wherein the constrainer is configured to restrict the bonding material from migrating into an interior cavity of the wind turbine blade.

System and method for controlling bonding material in a wind turbine blade

A fluid turbine blade and method of fabrication are provided. The fluid turbine blade includes a centrally disposed longitudinal spar having a substantially circumferential cross section. The fluid turbine blade also includes at least one chord stiffener coupled to the longitudinal spar. The fluid turbine blade further includes a torsionally compliant segmented skin coupled to the at least one chord stiffener. The centrally disposed longitudinal spar and the torsionally compliant segmented skin are functionally decoupled to relieve the torsionally compliant segmented skin of one or more of a flapwise load condition, an edgewise load condition and a torsional load condition.

Fluid turbine blade with torsionally compliant skin and method of providing the same

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Niskayuna, NY, United States of America

Mohammad Salah Attia