ROTOR BLADE MOLD, METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A ROTOR BLADE FOR A WIND ENERGY INSTALLATION, AND A WIND ENERGY INSTALLATION

Abstract

A rotor blade mold and a method for manufacturing a rotor blade for a wind energy installation, wherein the rotor blade includes a blade root and a blade tip and wherein the rotor blade extends in a longitudinal direction from the blade root to the blade tip. The mold includes a first rotor blade mold segment adapted for manufacturing a portion of the rotor blade that includes the blade root, a second rotor blade mold segment adapted for manufacturing a portion of the rotor blade that includes the blade tip, and at least a third rotor blade mold segment adapted to be integrated in the rotor blade mold between the first mold segment and the second mold segment, and/or to be removed from the rotor blade mold and thereby lengthen or shorten the rotor blade mold in the longitudinal direction.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A rotor blade mold for the manufacture of a rotor blade of a wind energy installation, wherein the rotor blade comprises a blade root and a blade tip, and wherein the rotor blade extends in a longitudinal direction from the blade root to the blade tip, the rotor blade mold comprising: a first rotor blade mold segment configured for the manufacture of a portion of the rotor blade that comprises the blade root; a second rotor blade mold segment configured for the manufacture of a portion of the rotor blade that comprises the blade tip; and at least a third rotor blade mold segment configured to be at least one of: integrated in the rotor blade mold between the first rotor blade mold segment and the second rotor blade mold segment thereby to lengthen the rotor blade mold in the longitudinal direction, or removed from the rotor blade mold from between the first rotor blade mold segment and the second rotor blade mold segment thereby to shorten the rotor blade mold in the longitudinal direction.

12. The rotor blade mold of claim 11, wherein the at least one third rotor blade mold segment is provided in a region of the rotor blade mold that is between about 20 percent and about 80 percent of a blade mold length of the rotor blade mold in the longitudinal direction.

13. The rotor blade mold of claim 11, wherein the at least one third rotor blade mold segment is provided in a region of the rotor blade mold that is configured for the manufacture of a substantially cylindrical region of the blade root of the rotor blade.

14. The rotor blade mold of claim 11, wherein the at least one third rotor blade mold segment has a segment length in the longitudinal direction which is not greater than about 20 percent of a blade mold length of the rotor blade mold in the longitudinal direction.

15. The rotor blade mold of claim 11, wherein: the at least one third rotor blade mold segment has a cross-sectional area extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction; and at least one of the shape or size of the cross-sectional area is substantially constant in the longitudinal direction.

16. The rotor blade mold of claim 11, wherein: the at least one third rotor blade mold segment includes an upper base surface and a lower base surface; and at least one of the shape or size of the cross-sectional areas of the upper and lower base surfaces correspond to the cross-sectional areas of the respective ends of the first and second rotor blade mold segments that respectively face toward the third rotor blade mold segment.

17. The rotor blade mold of claim 11, wherein: the at least one third rotor blade mold segment includes an upper base surface and a lower base surface; and at least one of: the upper base surface is twisted with respect to the lower base surface about a longitudinal axis running in the longitudinal direction, or the cross-sectional area of the at least one third rotor blade mold segment is twisted in the longitudinal direction.

18. The rotor blade mold of claim 17, wherein the at least one third rotor blade mold segment represents a cylinder that is twisted in the longitudinal direction.

19. The rotor blade mold of claim 11, wherein: the at least one third rotor blade mold segment includes an upper base surface and a lower base surface; and at least one of: the upper base surface is tilted with respect to the lower base surface about at least one tilt axis that extends perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, or a longitudinal axis of the at least one third rotor blade mold segment has a curvature perpendicular to a profile depth of the at least one third rotor blade mold segment, so that a finite angle or a tilt is obtained between the upper and lower base surfaces.

20. A method of manufacturing a rotor blade for a wind energy installation, wherein the rotor blade comprises a blade root and a blade tip, and wherein the rotor blade extends in a longitudinal direction from the blade root to the blade tip, the method comprising: obtaining a rotor blade mold, wherein the motor blade mold comprises: a first rotor blade mold segment configured for the manufacture of a portion of the rotor blade that comprises the blade root, and a second rotor blade mold segment configured for the manufacture of a portion of the rotor blade that comprises the blade tip; and at least one of: integrating at least a third rotor blade mold segment into the rotor blade mold between the first rotor blade mold segment and the second rotor blade mold segment to thereby lengthen the rotor blade mold in the longitudinal direction, or removing at least a third rotor blade mold segment from the rotor blade mold, from between the first rotor blade mold segment and the second rotor blade mold segment, to thereby shorten the rotor blade mold in the longitudinal direction.

21. A method of manufacturing a wind energy installation, comprising: obtaining at least one rotor blade that has been manufactured according to the method of claim 20; and coupling the at least one rotor blade to a hub of a wind energy installation.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and, together with a general description of the invention given above, and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0024] FIG. 1 shows an example of a rotor blade mold in a perspective exploded view;

[0025] FIG. 2 shows an example of a rotor blade, manufactured using a rotor blade mold, in a front view; and

[0026] FIGS. 3a-3c show three examples of intermediate segments in a perspective view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a perspective exploded view of an example of a rotor blade mold 1 constructed as a forming tool for the manufacture of a rotor blade shell. The rotor blade mold 1 comprises a first rotor blade mold segment 2 for the manufacture of the blade root of the rotor blade and a second rotor blade segment 3 for the manufacture of the blade tip of the rotor blade.

[0028] The portion of the rotor blade mold 1 which is located between the first and the second rotor blade segment 2, 3 is in this case formed by two third rotor blade mold segments 4, 5 and a main segment 6 which is located between the third rotor blade mold segments 4, 5, wherein the two third rotor blade mold segments 4, 5 are constructed in such a way that they can be coupled or connected to the first rotor blade mold segment 2 and the main segment 6 and, respectively, to the main segment 6 and the second rotor blade mold segment 3.

[0029] In addition or as an alternative, the two third rotor blade mold segments 4, 5 are constructed in such a way that they can be, or are, releasably coupled or connected to the first and/or to the second rotor blade mold segment 2 or 3 and/or to the main segment 6, respectively, so that they can be removed from the rotor blade mold 1 formed by the segments 2 to 6, if required.

[0030] After removal of the third rotor blade mold segments 4, 5, these can be replaced respectively by further third rotor blade mold segments 4′ and 5′ which—like the rotor blade mold segments 4, 5—are constructed in such a way that they can be coupled or connected to the first rotor blade mold segment 2 and the main segment 6, or, respectively, to the main segment 6 and the second rotor blade mold segment 3. In this variant, the third rotor blade mold segments 4, 5 are thus exchanged for further third rotor blade mold segments 4′, 5′.

[0031] As an alternative, after removal of the third rotor blade mold segments 4, 5, it can however also be provided that the first and second rotor blade mold segments 2, 3 are directly connected to the main segment 6. In this context, the first and second rotor blade mold segments 2, 3 are preferably constructed in such a way that they can be coupled or connected directly, i. e. without any further intermediate segment, to the main segment 6, in particular in a releasable manner.

[0032] In the present example, in the longitudinal direction R of the rotor blade mold 1, the two third rotor blade mold segments 4, 5 each have a first segment length of L.sub.1 and L.sub.2, respectively, and the two further third rotor blade mold segments 4′, 5′ each have a second segment length L′.sub.1 and L′.sub.2, respectively, wherein the first segment lengths L.sub.1, L.sub.2 are greater than the second segment lengths L′.sub.1, L′.sub.2.

[0033] If, in the rotor blade mold 1 formed from the segments 2 to 6, the third rotor blade mold segments 4 and 5 are exchanged for the further third rotor blade mold segments 4′ and 5′ as described above, the total length of the rotor blade mold 1 is shortened by a difference in length of ΔL=(L.sub.1−L′.sub.1)+(L.sub.2−L′.sub.2).

[0034] Preferably, each of the length L.sub.W of the first rotor blade mold segment 2 and/or the length L.sub.S of the second rotor blade mold segment 3 is at most 20 percent of the total length L of the rotor blade mold 1. In the present example, the total length L (including the third rotor blade mold segments 4 and 5) or, respectively, L′ (including the further third rotor blade mold segments 4′ and 5′), which is also referred to as the blade mold length, is calculated from the sum of the lengths of the respective segments: L=L.sub.W+L.sub.1+L.sub.H+L.sub.2+L.sub.S and L′=L.sub.W+L′.sub.1+L.sub.H+L′.sub.2+L.sub.S, respectively, where L.sub.H denotes the length of the main segment 6 in the longitudinal direction R.

[0035] In addition or as an alternative, the exchangeable third rotor blade mold segments 4, 4′, 5, 5′ are provided in a region of the rotor blade mold 1 which region is located between about 20 percent and 80 percent of the blade mold length L. The exchangeable third rotor blade mold segments 4, 4′, 5, 5′ themselves preferably have a segment length of L.sub.1, L′.sub.1, L.sub.2 or L′.sub.2, respectively, which is not greater than 20 percent of the blade mold length L.

[0036] It is also preferred that the respective abutting base surfaces A and B, which are also referred to as connection cross-sectional surfaces, of the rotor blade mold segments 2 to 5 and of the at least one main segment 6 are constructed in such a way that they have a substantially identical geometric shape and/or geometric shapes which correspond to one another. Because of this, the individual segments 2 to 6 can be placed against each other in a continuous manner, or removed or exchanged.

[0037] FIG. 2 shows a front view of an example of a rotor blade 20 manufactured using a rotor blade mold. The rotor blade 20 comprises a blade root 22, a blade tip 23 and a blade body 21 which is located therebetween.

[0038] In the present example, the rotor blade 20 was manufactured using the rotor blade mold 1 shown in FIG. 1, by placing, for example, several layers of thin textile structures, such as for example woven fabrics, knitted fabrics, scrim fabrics or nonwoven fabrics, into the rotor blade mold 1 and then applying resin to these by means of a resin infusion process. As an alternative, pre-impregnated fiber layers (prepregs, as they are referred to) can be used, in which the fiber layers are already embedded in resin, in particular in a layer of resin, and in which the fiber layers form a material bond after heating and, if applicable, after the application of negative pressure. In this context, the shape of the blade root 22 and of the blade tip 23 obtained in this way corresponds to the negative shape in the first and the second rotor blade mold segments 2 and 3, respectively, and the shape of the blade body 21 including its sub-portions 24 to 26 corresponds to the negative shape of the assembled third rotor blade mold segments 4, 5 and the main segment 6. By exchanging the third rotor blade mold segments 4, 5 for third rotor blade mold segments 4′, 5′ having a shorter length, the sub-portions 24 and 25 of the rotor blade 1 and thus the overall length of the rotor blade 1 become correspondingly shorter.

[0039] FIGS. 3a-3c show three examples of intermediate segments, i. e. third rotor blade mold segments 7, in a perspective view.

[0040] In the rotor blade mold segment 7 shown in FIG. 3 a), both the transverse edges 11 and the longitudinal edges 12 of the upper and the lower base surface (hatched) of the segment 7 are parallel to each other, which is indicated in the figure by symbols “//” which are surrounded by a little box. The upper and the lower base surfaces of the segment 7 are parallel to each other and are identical. In the present example, the rotor blade mold segment 7 has the shape of a cylinder, the base surface of which is formed by a rectangle which, in the region of one of the longitudinal edges 12, has a preferably concave curvature. The curvature extending between the upper and the lower base surface represents a portion of a negative shape of the rotor blade shell to be produced.

[0041] In the rotor blade mold segment 7 shown in FIG. 3 b), on the other hand, only the respective transverse edges 11 of the upper and the lower base surface (hatched) of the segment 7 are parallel to each other, which is indicated in the figure by a symbol “//” which is surrounded by a little box, whereas the upper and the lower base surfaces are tilted with respect to each other by an angle α>0 degrees about a first axis which runs substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction R of the rotor blade mold, or a first axis which runs substantially in the direction of the transverse edges 11. With third rotor blade mold segments 7 which are constructed in this way, a twist (torsion), as it is referred to, or a curvature of the rotor blade in the plane of rotation can be realized in a simple manner.

[0042] In the rotor blade mold segment 7 shown in FIG. 3 c), only the respective longitudinal edges 12 of the upper and the lower base surface (hatched) of the segment 7 are parallel to each other, which is indicated in the figure by a symbol “//” which is surrounded by a little box, whereas the two transverse edges 11 of the upper and the lower base surface are tilted with respect to each other by an angle β>0 degrees about a second axis which runs substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction R of the rotor blade mold, or a second axis which runs substantially in the direction of the longitudinal edges 12. With third rotor blade mold segments 7 which are constructed in this way, a pre-bending, as it is referred to, or a curvature of the rotor blade out of the plane of rotation can be realized in a simple manner.

[0043] It is also possible to tilt the upper and the lower base surface of the rotor blade mold segment 7 both as shown in FIG. 3 b) and as shown in FIG. 3 c).

[0044] While the present invention has been illustrated by a description of various embodiments, and while these embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such de-tail. The various features shown and described herein may be used alone or in any combination. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and method, and illustrative example shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit and scope of the general inventive concept.