According to an aspect, a method of assembling a mandrel includes assembling a plurality of members via interlocking features arranged at opposing edges of each member of the plurality of members to form a compartment, the assembled members having a collective outer surface that conforms to an inner surface of the spar. A support member is inserted into the compartment formed radially inward from the assembled members, the support member making contact with a portion of each member of the plurality of members.

A system for fabrication of a wind turbine blade including a laser projection which identifies the dimensions for a plurality of layup segments; determines the sequence of layup segments within first and second sections of the mold, wherein the sequence of layup segments within the second section of the mold are synchronized with the layup segments within a first section of the mold. The system also includes a projection device visually depicting the boundaries of a plurality of layup segments onto the mold. This system automates fabrication of composite structures by setting a pace for each task and ensuring operators complete each task within the allotted period. The projection system and layup delivery mechanism can advance with respect the mold to ensure the pace is maintained and an overall product cycle time is adhered to.

A method for manufacturing a wind turbine blade including: arranging an upper mold on a lower wherein a dry fiber lay-up is arranged in the upper mold or in the upper mold and the lower mold, applying vacuum to a space between the upper and lower molds, and infusing the dry fiber lay-up in the upper and/or lower molds with resin through at least one upper resin inlet arranged at an upper portion of the upper mold. Having the at least one upper resin inlet of the upper mold improves the vacuum-assisted resin infusion. Resin provided through the at least one upper resin inlet has to be raised by a smaller height to reach the top of the mold. A resin flow of the resin provided through the at least one upper resin inlet is supported in a downward direction by the gravitational force.

Disclosed is a method and a system for manufacturing a composite structure, such as a wind turbine blade. The system comprises: a first mould; a second mould; a monorail arranged between the first mould and the second mould; and a primary mobile unit configured to mount the monorail and comprising: a first distributor configured to distribute first fibre material in the first mould; and a first cover handler configured to arrange a first cover material over the distributed first fibre material in the first mould, to lock the first fibre material in the first mould.

The invention relates to a system and to a method for producing a rotor-blade spar cap with pultruded rods made of a fiber-reinforced material. According to the invention, the system includes at least one retaining apparatus for rotatably mounting at least one rod-layer roll with a rolled-up layer of pultruded rods arranged one beside the other, and a laminating mold for receiving layers of pultruded rods. The system further includes at least one guiding apparatus and additionally at least one trimming apparatus. The guiding apparatus is designed to guide onto the laminating mold a layer of pultruded rods which has been unrolled from a rod-layer roll. And, the trimming apparatus, for trimming the layers of pultruded rods, has a sawing apparatus and/or a milling apparatus.

A mold for forming a flange of a wind turbine blade comprising a first flange portion including a plurality of lamina and having a generally planar shape and a second perpendicular flange including a plurality of lamina. A plurality of copper wires are disposed within the lamina for conducting heat delivered from a base portion through the first and second flange portions. The mold is free of fluid conduits with the flange portions moveable relative to the base portion.

The invention relates to a production mold for a rotor blade of a wind turbine plant, having two mold half-shells (3, 4) which during a production method of the rotor blade are disposed so as to be at least temporarily beside one another, and having at least one inner walkway (2c, 2d) that runs along so as to be between the two mold half-shells (3, 4), characterized by at least one escape path (40) which runs along below at least one of the two mold half-shells (3, 4).

Wind turbine systems and methods are disclosed herein. A representative system includes a wind turbine blade having an inner region that has an internal load-bearing truss structure, and an outer region that has an internal, non-truss, load-bearing structure. In particular embodiments, the truss structure can include a triangular arrangement of spars, and/or can include truss attachment members that connect components of the truss without the use of holes in the spars. Spars can be produced from a plurality of pultruded composite members laminated together in longitudinally extending portions. The longitudinally extending portions can be connected at joints that interleave projections and recesses of each of the spar portions. The blades can include fan-shaped transitions at a hub attachment portion, formed by laminated layers and/or a combination of laminated layers and transition plates.

A wind turbine blade assembly includes a first blade half and a second blade half fixed to the first blade half, defining a blade interior therebetween. The wind turbine blade assembly includes a shear web includes at least one aperture formed therein. The wind turbine blade assembly includes at least one bulkhead attached to the shear web, wherein the shear web and the at least one bulkhead are disposed in the blade interior.

A pultruded fibre-reinforced strip (50) configured to be stacked with one or more similar strips (50) to form a spar cap of a wind turbine blade (10), comprising—a core (51) comprising a plurality of first fibres embedded in a resin matrix, the plurality of first fibres being carbon fibres and/or glass fibres, and—a surface layer (52) enclosing and covering the core (51) and comprising a plurality of second fibres imbedded in the resin matrix, the majority of the plurality of second fibres having an elastic modulus less than 10 GPa.