General Electric Company

Nicholas Michael Seruntine

Andrew Mitchell Rodwell

Paul Trevor Hayden

Alan Majors Walker

Harald Behmer

Peter Anthony Broome

James Paul Davidson

David Patrick Cripps

Miguel Cabrera Lange

Michael Blanc

Matthew Carmichael

Peter Broome

A method for manufacturing a rotor blade root assembly includes placing outer skin layer(s) onto a blade mold and arranging a root plate with a plurality of through holes adjacent to an end face of the blade mold. The method also includes placing a plurality of root inserts atop the outer skin layer(s) and abutting against the root plate, with each of the root inserts defining a fastener hole. The method also includes inserting a root fastener into each of the aligned through holes and longitudinal fastener holes. Moreover, the method includes placing inner skin layer(s) atop the root inserts. Further, the root plate may include at least one fluid hole configured therethrough to provide a non-gas tight root plate. Alternatively, at least one seal may be arranged between the root plate and the blade mold that forms a non-gas tight connection with either or both of the root plate or the blade mold during a vacuum infusion process. Thus, the method includes securing the outer skin layer(s), the root inserts, the inner skin layer(s), and the root fasteners together to form the root assembly via the vacuum infusion process.

Method for manufacturing a wind turbine rotor blade root assembly

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

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Slidell, LA, United States of America

Nicholas Michael Seruntine