A method for producing a hollow composite structure, such as a spar beam for a wind turbine blade, includes placing a membrane within a mold tool, the membrane being permeable to air and impermeable to resin. A mandrel is placed within the mold tool, the mandrel enclosed in an air tight layer that includes a vent. Fiber reinforcement material is placed around the mandrel within the mold tool and the membrane is sealed at least partly around the fiber reinforcement material and mandrel. The mold tool is closed with the vent line from the mandrel extending through the sealed membrane to outside of the mold tool. A vacuum is drawn in the mold tool while the mandrel is vented to outside of the mold tool, and while the vacuum is being drawn, resin is infused into the mold tool around the mandrel such that the resin is drawn towards the membrane.

The present invention relates to an access arrangement (90) of a wind turbine blade for accessing a hollow space within the blade. The access arrangement (90) comprises an access opening (180) provided in the blade shell member, a cover panel (92) for covering the access opening (180), a sealing member (96) arranged between the cover panel (92) and the blade shell member, and one or more fasteners (98) for releasably fastening the cover panel (92) to the blade shell member. The present invention also relates to a wind turbine blade comprising the access arrangement (90).

A wind turbine blade and a method of manufacturing a wind turbine blade is disclosed. The wind turbine blade includes a tip blade segment and a root blade segment extending in opposite directions from a chord-wise joint, where each of the tip blade segment and the root blade segment includes a pressure side shell member and a suction side shell member. Further, wind turbine blade includes a beam structure. The beam structure includes a first section, where the first section is received at a receiving section of the root blade segment and a second section disposed in the tip blade segment and extending at an angle with respect to the first section, such that at least a portion of the tip blade segment is disposed outwardly with respect to a blade axis.

A downwind morphing rotor that exhibits bending loads that will be reduced by aligning the rotor blades with the composite forces. This reduces the net loads on the blades which therefore allow for a reduced blade mass for a given maximum stress. The downwind morphing varies the amount of downstream deflection as a function of wind speed, where the rotor blades are generally fully-aligned to non-azimuthal forces for wind speeds between rated and cut-out conditions, while only the outer segments of the blades are generally aligned between cut-in and rated wind speeds. This alignment for large (MW-scale) rated turbines results in much larger downstream deflections of the blades at high wind speeds as compared to that of a conventional rigid single-piece upwind turbine blade.

A shear web for stiffening a rotor blade includes: a first flange for connecting to a first half-shell, a second flange for connecting to a second half-shell, a core having an end facing the first half-shell, a further end facing the second half-shell, a front side facing a profile leading edge, and a rear side facing a profile trailing edge, a layer of reinforcing fibers having a portion on the rear side and a further portion on the first end and extending toward the profile leading edge, such that the further portion forms part of the first flange, and a further layer having a portion arranged on the front side of the core, and a further portion arranged on the second end of the core and extending from there further toward the profile trailing edge, such that the further portion forms part of the second flange.

A method of joining first and second blade components of a rotor blade of a wind turbine includes providing corresponding first and second positioning elements at an interface of the first and second blade components. The method also includes aligning and securing the first positioning element of the first blade component with the second positioning element of the second blade component so as to temporarily secure the first and second blade components together. Further, the corresponding first and second positioning elements maintain a desired spacing between the first and second blade components. Moreover, the method includes permanently securing the first and second blade components together such that the desired spacing is maintained between the first and second blade components.

Improvements relating to wind turbine blades A wind turbine blade is described that comprises a main blade and one or more separate edge modules attached to the main blade module. The main blade module defines a main body of the blade, and the separate edge module(s) defines at least part of a leading edge or a trailing edge of the blade. A down conductor for a blade lightning protection system is embedded within the edge module.

A method is provided for connecting two tubular or conical sections of a structure, especially of a wind turbine, by joining respective circular ends of the outer walls of these sections by welding, including the steps: positioning the two sections in such a way, that the circular ends are adjacent to each other, positioning a first part of a connection tool adjacent to the circular ends of the two sections, positioning a second part of the connection tool in such a way that the first and second part of the connection tool form a ring-shaped housing, blocking access to the circular ends from the outside of the sections, and using a welding head of the connection tool arranged within the ring-shaped housing to join the outer walls.

A method (100) of mounting blades (22) to a rotor hub (20) of a wind turbine (10), the wind turbine (10) comprising a tower (12), a nacelle (16) mounted on the tower (12), the rotor hub (20) being coupled to the nacelle (16), and blades (22), each blade (22) comprising a blade root segment (56) and a blade extension segment (66), the method (100) comprising mounting a first blade root segment (50) to the rotor hub (20), mounting a second blade (72) to the rotor hub (20) after mounting the first blade root segment (50), the second blade (72) comprising a second blade root segment (52) and a second blade extension segment (62), and connecting a first blade extension segment (60) to the first blade root segment (50) after mounting the second blade (72).

A rotor blade for addressing the deflection of rotor blades of a wind turbine. The rotor blade includes a plurality of exterior surfaces defining a blade body having a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge and a trailing edge. The blade body extending between a blade tip and a blade root. The blade body including a breakaway tip portion defined by a predetermined breaking point. The breakaway tip portion is configured to break away from the remaining portion of the blade body when subject to a predetermined tower strike load. A wind turbine including the rotor blade configuration is further disclosed.