A method of mounting a replacement tip section to an exposed end of a rotor blade includes removing an existing tip section from the rotor blade to create the exposed end of the rotor blade, installing the rotor blade having the exposed end onto a holding fixture, assembling the replacement tip section about the exposed end of the rotor blade, positioning a bonding fixture about the replacement tip section, and curing the replacement tip section to the exposed end of the rotor blade.

A method for preparing a polyurethane composite by a vacuum infusion process, a polyurethane composite prepared by said method and use thereof. The method for preparing a polyurethane composite by a vacuum infusion process of the present invention can reduce raw materials and production costs.

There is disclosed a method of manufacturing a composite component comprising a main body and an integral flange, the method comprising applying fibre-reinforcement material on a tool having a main body portion and a flange-forming portion to provide a pre-form comprising a body region and a longitudinally adjacent flange region. The pre-form extends generally longitudinally between two longitudinal ends; and a trailing ply of the pre-form extends generally longitudinally between the longitudinal end closest to the flange region and an inner ply end located in the flange region or partway into the body region. Relative movement between the flange-forming portion and the main body portion causes sliding movement between the trailing ply and the flange-forming portion during a flange forming operation, thereby causing a tension force in at least the flange region of the pre-form of during forming of the flange.

A method for manufacturing a rotor blade component of a rotor blade includes feeding a flat sheet of material into a thermoforming system, wherein the material comprises at least one of a thermoplastic or thermoset material. The method also includes heating the flat sheet of material via the thermoforming system. Further, the method includes shaping the heated flat sheet of material via at least one roller of the thermoforming system into a desired curved shape. Moreover, the method includes dispensing the shaped sheet of material from the thermoforming system. In addition, the method includes cooling the shaped sheet of material to form the rotor blade component.

A turbine blade and a method of manufacturing the wind turbine, wherein the wind turbine blade comprises a composite structure and a surrounding layer. The composite structure comprises a stack of pultruded elements where an infusion-promoting layer is arranged between adjacent pairs of pultruded elements (18). The infusion-promoting layers have a higher permeability than the surrounding layer so that the resin flows at a higher speed within the stacked structure than in the surrounding layer.

A turbomachine vane includes a blading made of composite material with fibrous reinforcement densified by a matrix and an integrated metal leading edge, the blading extending in a longitudinal direction, the leading edge being formed by a metal foil overmolded onto the blading, the foil having a lower wing and an upper wing which extend respectively on the lower and upper faces of the blading while matching an aerodynamic profile of the vane. One of the lower wing and the upper wing has a positioning portion extending in the longitudinal direction, the portion having a flat inner face and an increasing thickness away from the leading edge, and being housed in a correspondingly shaped groove in the blading.

A replacement insert for the repair of a joint connecting a wind turbine blade to a rotor hub of a wind turbine is disclosed. The replacement insert includes a bushing having a first end, a second end, an outer surface, and an internal passageway. The replacement insert further includes a cover around at least a portion of the outer surface of the bushing. The replacement insert may have a non-circular cross-sectional profile. The cover defines an outer surface, and a plurality of protrusions extending from the outer surface of the cover. The protrusions are configured to operate as spacers when the replacement insert is positioned in a bushing cavity in the wind turbine blade to define a gap between the replacement insert and the walls of the bushing cavity.

A gripping device (76) is provided for lifting a preform for a wind turbine blade from a preform mould (71). The gripping device (76) comprises a base frame (62), a plurality of arms (78) slidably mounted on the base frame (62), each arm (78) having a proximal end and a distal end, a plurality of gripping members (86) for gripping a top surface (75) of the preform. The vertical position of one or more arms (78) of the gripping device (76) relative to the base frame (62) may change when lowering the gripping device (76) towards a preform to reflect the top surface (75) of the perform.

A method for fabrication of a composite component, e.g. wind turbine blade, comprises forming a composite structure within a mold, the composite structure including a resin dispersed throughout the fibers in the composite structure and applying a surface treatment, e.g. sanding, to at least one region of the composite structure. A Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer is employed to irradiate the treated surface area with infrared light; and determining the amount of infrared light absorbed in the treated area of the composite structure to measure the chemical bond (distribution efficacy, chemical composition, and cure state) of the composite product. Calibration models for a variety of materials are made using a partial least squares 2-variable regression. These calibration files incorporate spectrum from samples of varying resin-hardener mix ratio, and at varying degree of cure. After library comparison confirms the material, the device automatically selects the correct calibration file, ensuring accurate results.

A propeller includes a plurality of blades that extends outward in a radial direction of a rotation central axis relative to the rotation central axis, and includes an end that is located on an opposite side of the rotation central axis. Each of the plurality of blades has a maximum angle of elevation in a position ranging from 30% to 60% with the rotation central axis as a starting point of a radius of a circle that passes through the end of each of the plurality of blades with the rotation central axis as a center, the maximum angle of elevation being a maximum of an angle of elevation in each of the plurality of blades. A change in the angle of elevation in a longitudinal direction of each of the plurality of blades is within 10 degrees per 5% of the radius. A change in the longitudinal direction of a cross-sectional maximum blade thickness is within 20% of a maximum blade thickness of each of the plurality of blades per 5% of the radius, the cross-sectional maximum blade thickness being a maximum blade thickness in a cross section of each of the plurality of blades, the cross section being orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. A change in a chord length of each of the plurality of blades in the longitudinal direction is within 20% of a maximum of the chord length in each of the plurality of blades per 5% of the radius.