The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 23, 2024
Filed:
Dec. 11, 2018
General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US);
Louis Rondeau, Greenville, SC (US);
Aaron A. Yarbrough, Greenville, SC (US);
Xu Chen, Simpsonville, SC (US);
Scott Iverson Shillig, Greenville, SC (US);
GE Infrastructure Technology LLC, Greenville, SC (US);
Abstract
A method for producing a hollow composite structure, such as a spar beam for use in a wind turbine blade, includes placing fiber reinforcement material around a mandrel within a mold, and curing the fiber reinforcement material. The mandrel is formed from a compressible material having a rigid neutral state with a rigidity to maintain a defined shape of the mandrel during lay up and curing of the fiber reinforcement material. Subsequent to curing, a vacuum is drawn on the mandrel to compress the compressible material so that the compressed mandrel can be drawn out through an opening in the composite structure, the opening having a size such that the mandrel could not be withdrawn through the opening in the rigid neutral state of the mandrel.