General Electric Company

Paul William Judge

Glen Peter Koste

Robert Carl Murray

Jay F Leonard

Boon Kwee Lee

Yaru Mendez Hernandez

The present disclosure is directed to a rotor blade assembly and/or a joint assembly for a wind turbine blade. In one embodiment, the rotor blade assembly includes at least first and second blade segments connected together at a chord-wise extending joint, one or more shear-loaded pins configured through the chord-wise extending joint, and an anti-rotation locking feature. As such, the rotor blade assembly includes a maintenance-free bolted joint. The first blade segment has a body shell defining a generally aerodynamic profile. The body shell includes a suction side surface and a pressure side surface. The shear-loaded pin may extend in a generally flap-wise direction (i.e. from the suction side surface to the pressure side surface of the body shell) or in a generally chord-wise direction (i.e. from the pressure side to the suction side of the body shell).

Joint assembly for rotor blade segments of a wind turbine

A system is provided for estimating a condition of a non-conductive hollow structure exposed to a lightning strike. The structure has an internal cavity. The system includes a pressure transducer to measure a pressure of an acoustic wave generated within the internal cavity due to the lightning strike. The system further includes a controller coupled to the pressure transducer, to receive the measured pressure from the pressure transducer, and to process the condition of the structure, based on the measured pressure.

System for estimating a condition of non-conductive hollow structure exposed to a lightning strike

A rotor blade for a wind turbine includes a plurality of individual blade segments, with each blade segment defining an internal passage extending between the longitudinal ends of the blade segment. A rigid spar member extends longitudinally through the internal passages of the individual blade segments such that the blade segments are aligned and connected end-to-end on said spar member to define a complete rotor blade from a root to a blade tip. The spar member has a cross-sectional profile that is keyed to the cross-sectional profile of the internal passage in the blade segments. The spar member includes oppositely facing spar caps that engage against the inside surfaces of the blade segments within the internal passages.

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Inman, SC, United States of America

Paul William Judge