Vestas Wind Systems A/s

Troels Vahle

Adrian Botwright

Kristoffer Lolk Fredriksen

Michael Kastrup

Lucia Quintana

Jacob Antonsen

Peter Frans Thomsen

Martin Damm

Carsten Jasper

Jesper Fyhn Friis

Anders Olsen

Axel Peter Madsen

Martin Dam

Lucía Quintana

Kristoffer Lolk Frederiksen

The present invention relates to an assembly for rotating a suspended load around a substantially vertical axis, the assembly comprising an inner rim configured to have a fixed relationship with the suspended load to be rotated, an outer rim engaging the inner rim in a manner so that the inner and outer rims are configured to perform rotational movements relative to each other during rotation of the suspended load, and a drive unit for performing the relative rotational movement between the inner and outer rims. The assembly of the present invention may be secured to a lifting yoke for lifting wind turbine related components, such as entire wind turbine towers, wind turbine tower sections, nacelles, rotor blades or containers.

Assembly for rotating a suspended load

Transport frame and method; the transport frame having a longitudinal, lateral and upright extent, and configured for transporting a root end or tip portion of a longitudinally extending wind turbine blade, the frame being stackable with similar frames, the frame having four top shoulders and four feet, the feet of the frame being conformed to be stackable on corresponding shoulders of another similar frame, wherein each shoulder is provided with a locating finger, each finger having a height above the shoulder, and wherein each foot is provided with a recess conformed to receive a locating finger, and wherein a first locating finger has a height greater than each of the three remaining locating fingers.

Transport frame for a wind turbine blade

A transport frame having a longitudinal, lateral and upright extent for receiving a tip portion of a wind turbine blade is disclosed. The frame is stackable with identical frames and has a tip saddle assembly including a saddle with a support surface shaped to receive a blade tip, and a clamping mechanism having a hinged clamping arm operable between an open position and a closed position, the clamping arm, when open, allowing a blade tip to be lowered into the saddle, and when closed, securely restraining the blade tip against upward movement. The tip saddle assembly further includes a preventer serving to maintain the clamping arm in the closed position over a blade. A method of using the transport frame to clamp a wind turbine blade is also disclosed.

Lifting yoke and method; the lifting yoke configured for connecting to, and lifting, a wind turbine blade transport frame, said yoke being generally rectangular and comprising four corner posts connected by struts; each corner post being configured for internally receiving therein an upwardly oriented locating finger atop a said transport frame shoulder; said corner post having a housing enclosing an internal space and extending between a lower foot face and a top; said corner post having, at said lower foot face, an aperture dimensioned to receive a said locating finger into said internal space; said corner post further comprising guide surfaces enclosed within said housing and spaced apart to define a locking space and configured to snugly receive a said locating finger; each guide surface comprising a locking aperture; wherein a movable locking element is configured to engage both said locking apertures to thereby bridge said locking space; said locking element being configured to engage a lifting point at said locating finger; said movable locking element constituting the primary lifting element of said lifting yoke.

Lifting frame for a wind turbine blade

Transport frame and method; the transport frame having a longitudinal, lateral and upright extent, and being configured for receiving a tip or root portion of a longitudinally extending wind turbine blade, said frame being stackable with similar frames, said frame comprising four upright frame struts which together define a generally cuboid internal space having a longitudinal extent between two pairs of said upright struts; said frame having, within said generally cuboid internal space, a tip or root saddle assembly comprising a saddle with a support surface shaped to receive a respective blade root or tip; said frame furthermore having four top shoulders and four feet, said feet of said frame being conformed to be stackable on corresponding said shoulders of another frame; and wherein said frame, proximate one or more said top or bottom corner thereof, comprises a retractable arm arrangement; wherein said frame further comprises, proximate at least one said top or bottom corner thereof, a claw arrangement; said retractable arm arrangement being configured to fixingly engage a corresponding claw arrangement at an adjacent similar frame in a stacked arrangement of the frames.

Transport frame pair configured for transporting a wind turbine blade, said frame pair comprising a tip frame and a root frame, each said tip and root frame being stackable with identical frames for blade transport or storage, each one of said tip and root frame comprising four upright frame struts which together define a generally cuboid internal space having a longitudinal extent between two pairs of said upright struts; said tip frame comprising a tip saddle assembly within said generally cuboid internal space, and said root frame comprising a root saddle assembly within said generally cuboid internal space, and wherein said root frame is configured to prohibit a translation movement of said root saddle assembly in a longitudinal direction of a blade supported in a root saddle of said root saddle assembly; and wherein said tip frame allows a translation movement of said tip saddle assembly in a longitudinal direction of a blade supported in a tip saddle of said tip saddle assembly. The longitudinal extent of the root frame may be more than twenty percent greater than the longitudinal extent of the tip frame.

Transport frames for a wind turbine blade

Transport frame and method; the transport frame having a longitudinal, lateral and upright extent, and configured for transporting a root end of a longitudinally extending wind turbine blade having a root face with protruding stud-bolts, said frame comprising a root saddle, said frame further comprising a releasable interface clamp configured for fixing a said blade root in said frame, said interface clamp extending from a forward nose through a rear hinge point in said root frame and, said interface clamp comprising a body with a forward abutment surface and a bearing surface rearward of said abutment surface, said body being hingedly movable into or out of engagement with one or more stud bolts protruding from the root face of a blade when positioned in said saddle, said interface clamp having a retracted position with its body away from said blade root face and away from said protruding stud-bolts, said interface clamp having an engagement position in which its said bearing surface extends transverse and adjacent to one or more said stud-bolts such that a tightening force applied to a said bearing surface pushes said abutment surface against said root face.

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Grenaa, Denmark

Troels Vahle