General Electric Company

General Electric Renovables Espana, S.l.

Lm Wind Power A/s

Nicholas Keane Althoff

James Robert Tobin

Stephen Bertram Johnson

Jamie Thomas Livingston

Michael Wenani Nielsen

Eric Morgan Jacobsen

Bensely Albert

David Roberts

Stefan Herr

Brandon Shane Gerber

Amir Riahi

Xu Chen

Kevin James Standish

Jan Willem Bakhuis

Benoit P Petitjean

Alexander William Vossler

Andrew Billen

Andrew McCalip

Matthew G Gann

Willem Jan Bakhuis

Dustin Jon Wambeke

Ronald Eduard Stam

Dustin J Wambeke

A method for manufacturing a rotor blade component of a rotor blade includes feeding a flat sheet of material into a thermoforming system, wherein the material comprises at least one of a thermoplastic or thermoset material. The method also includes heating the flat sheet of material via the thermoforming system. Further, the method includes shaping the heated flat sheet of material via at least one roller of the thermoforming system into a desired curved shape. Moreover, the method includes dispensing the shaped sheet of material from the thermoforming system. In addition, the method includes cooling the shaped sheet of material to form the rotor blade component.

Methods for manufacturing wind turbine rotor blade components

A method for assembling a shear web assembly of a wind turbine includes providing at least one spar cap. The method also includes forming a spar connecting member of a thermoplastic material via additive manufacturing. Further, the method includes securing the spar connecting member to the spar cap. Moreover, the method includes providing a shear web, forming a web connecting member of a thermoplastic material via additive manufacturing, and securing the web connecting member at a first end of the shear web. In addition, the method includes interconnecting the web connecting member and the spar connecting member at a joint. Thus, the method further includes heating the joint to secure the web connecting member and the spar connecting member together.

Shear web assembly interconnected with additive manufactured components

Methods for manufacturing a wind turbine rotor blade having a flatback airfoil configuration along at least a portion of a span of the rotor blade include providing a shell mold of the rotor blade. The method also includes laying up an outer skin layer of the rotor blade into the shell mold. Further, the method includes placing at least one pre-fabricated corner of the flatback airfoil configuration into the shell mold. The pre-fabricated corner(s) has a pointed edge. The method also includes infusing the outer skin layer with the pre-fabricated corner(s) to form the flatback airfoil configuration.

Methods for manufacturing flatback airfoils for wind turbine rotor blades

Wind turbine rotor blade components including pultruded rods and methods of manufacturing the same are disclosed. More specifically, the rotor blade component includes a plurality of pultruded rods housed within an enclosed primary outer casing. The enclosed primary outer casing includes a hollow interior, a root end, and an opposing tip. As such, each of the plurality of pultruded rods is received within the enclosed primary outer casing and secured therein via a first resin material. Further, an arrangement of the plurality of pultruded rods within the primary outer casing and a relationship of a maximum dimension of each of the plurality of pultruded rods and a maximum dimension of the enclosed primary outer casing are configured to maximize flexibility of the rotor blade component.

Wind turbine rotor blade components formed using pultruded rods

A blade for a wind turbine includes a body adapted for movement in response to wind flow past the blade body. The body has an inner surface defining an interior chamber and an opposite outer surface. At least one damping element extends from the inner surface of the body. The at least one damping element is configured to facilitate reducing an amount of noise generated by and propagating through the blade.

Blade having a damping element and method of fabricating same

A wind turbine blade having two shell portions bonded together to form a wind turbine blade having an interior space having an axial length. A web disposed between the shell portions in the interior space and extending substantially the axial length thereof. Lightning receptors are disposed on the shell portions and a conductor is disposed in the interior space. The conductor is configured to contact the lightning receptors. One shell portion of the two shell portions has a removable section, e.g. a plug, receptor or panel, to provide access to the opposite conductor. A cable mounted on the web is configured to extend substantially the axial length of the wind turbine blade and is in electrical contact with the conductor.

Wind turbine blade with lightning receptor

A spar for a wind turbine blade includes at least one shear web extending between pressure and suction sides of the blade; and a joint, arranged substantially midway between ends of the shear web, for sizing the shear web. The joint may include a resilient and/or expandable spacer.

Wind turbine spars with jointed shear webs

A method of assembling a rotor blade for a turbine is provided that includes forming a rotor blade trailing edge by coupling a suction side terminus to a pressure side terminus and positioning a trailing edge assembly between the suction side terminus and the pressure side terminus, the trailing edge assembly having a varying cross-section.

Rotor blade trailing edge assemby and method of use

The present invention includes a method for fabricating elongated wind turbine blades and wind turbine blades formed by the method. The method includes providing a first shell reinforcing fiber structure. At least one shear web reinforcing fiber structure is positioned adjacent to the first shell reinforcing fiber structure. The method includes infusing the first shell reinforcing fiber structure and shear web reinforcing fiber structure with a matrix material and curing the matrix material to form a unitary composite first shell component. Thereafter a composite second shell component is attached to the composite first shell component to form an elongated composite airfoil suitable for use as a wind turbine blade. The wind turbine blades formed include unitary components providing reduced number of adhesive joints.

Method for fabricating elongated airfoils for wind turbines

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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Ware Shoals, SC, United States of America

Nicholas Keane Althoff