Method for applying fibre material on a vertical surface of a web of a wind turbine blade

Abstract

A method for applying fibre material on a vertical surface is provided. The method has the following steps: spraying an adhesive on the vertical surface; applying the fibre material on the sprayed surface; spraying additional adhesive on the fibre material for another layer of fibre material; applying another layer of fibre material on the sprayed fibre material; and injecting the layers of fibre material with a resin.

Claims

1. A method for applying fibre material on a vertical surface to form a web of a wind turbine blade, the method comprising: positioning a vertical surface in a mould for a wind turbine blade at a position corresponding to a position of a web of the blade; spraying an adhesive on the vertical surface; applying fibre material on the sprayed surface directly in the mould during layout of fibre material in the mould; spraying additional adhesive on the fibre material for another layer of fibre material; applying another layer of fibre material on the sprayed fibre material; and injecting the fibre material on the vertical surface and in the mould with a resin during a resin injection process for the mould.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fibre material is unrolled from a reel.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a glass fibre material and/or a carbon fibre material and or a synthetic fibre material is used as the fibre material.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a fibre material in the form of a mat or a fabric is used.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a vertical surface is used which is made of wood or foam.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein fibre material is applied on both sides of the vertical surface.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the resin is injected in a vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of spraying an adhesive and/or the step of applying a fibre material is performed by an automatic actuator or an industrial robot.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein an actuator or a robot is used comprising a means for exerting pressure to an applied fibre material.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising selecting the adhesive to be of a composition which is desolved by the injected resin.

11. A method for applying fibre material on a vertical surface to form a web of a wind turbine blade, the method comprising: positioning a vertical surface in a mould for a wind turbine blade at a position corresponding to a position of a web of the blade; spraying an adhesive on the vertical surface; applying fibre material on the sprayed surface directly in the mould during layout of fibre material in the mould; and injecting the fibre material on the vertical surface and in the mould with a resin during a resin injection process.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: applying the fibre material on the sprayed surface using an apparatus comprising a reel for supplying the fibre material and a plate for pressing the fibre material onto the sprayed surface.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising selecting the adhesive to be of a composition which is desolved by the injected resin.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the accompanying drawings:

(2) FIG. 1-4 show a conventional method for applying fibre material;

(3) FIG. 5 shows the step of spraying an adhesive of the inventive method;

(4) FIG. 6 shows the step of applying the fibre material of the inventive method;

(5) FIG. 7 shows the step of applying multiple layers of fibre material of the inventive method;

(6) FIG. 8 shows the step of applying fibre material in form of rovings of the inventive method;

(7) FIG. 9 shows how fibre material is pressed onto the adhesive by a pressure means; and

(8) FIG. 10-12 show various views of a pressure means.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

(9) The method for applying fibre material is explained with regard to FIG. 5 to FIG. 12.

(10) FIG. 5 shows a vertical surface, namely a vertical web construction 6 made from wood on which it is desired to build up a fibre structure which in turn is to be moulded to a composite fibre component. In this embodiment the fibre material is glass fibre. However, other embodiments are possible, where carbon fibre or a mixture of glass fibre and carbon fibre is used.

(11) In a first step of the method for applying fibre material a thin layer of an adhesive 7 is sprayed on the vertical web construction 6 by a spray gun 8 which is moved along the surface of the vertical web construction 6 as is indicated by arrows 9. Spraying the adhesive can be done manually or automatically, e.g. by a robot.

(12) It is preferred that the vertical web construction is positioned above a mould for a wind turbine blade, accordingly the vertical web construction 6 is directly established at a position where it is needed for building up a fibre structure.

(13) After spraying the adhesive on the vertical web construction 6, whereby the adhesive is not yet cured, a glass fibre mat 10 is established on the sprayed area as is schematically illustrated in FIG. 6. The glass fibre mat 10 is rolled off from a reel 11 and directly attached to the sticky vertical surface of the web construction 6 and held in place.

(14) In FIG. 7 it is shown that multiple layers of glass fibre mats 10 can be laid out on top of each other, whereby each glass fibre mat 10, which is attached to the vertical web construction 6, is covered with a thin layer of adhesive 7. Each single layer of glass fibre can be attached in a different, specific angle, as is determined during design of a wind turbine blade. An additional adhesive layer 7 is to be sprayed on for every new layer of fibre material which is to be attached for holding this layer.

(15) It is possible to use an adhesive for fixing the layers of glass fibre which is of a chemical composition which is desolved by resin injected in a vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process.

(16) According to a modification of the method a fibre material particular a glass fibre material in the form of mats is used which are established on the thin adhesive layer one by one. Attaching the single mats can be done manually or automatically by a robot.

(17) FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the method, whereby a glass fibre material in form of rovings is used. These rovings are provided on a reel 12 on which rovings 13 have been wound up.

(18) FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the method for applying fibre material on a vertical surface, whereby a fibre material is pressed on the vertical surface by a pressure means.

(19) Firstly a thin layer of adhesive 7 is applied on a vertical web construction 6 by a spray gun 8. A glass fibre mat 10 is provided on a reel 11 from which it is unrolled onto the sticky surface of the vertical web construction 6. A pressure means 14 is used for pressing the unrolled glass fibre mat 10 onto the vertical surface. In FIG. 9 the pressure means 14 is only shown schematically. It comprises a plate 15 which is spring-loaded so that said pressure means 14 can follow the contour of the vertical surface even if the surface is curved.

(20) FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a pressure means 16, FIG. 11 is a side view of the pressure means 16 and FIG. 12 is another perspective view of the pressure means 16.

(21) Pressure means 16 is explained with regard to FIGS. 10, 11 and 12. It comprises a housing 17 accommodating a reel 18, on which a fibre material, in particular a glass fibre mat is wound.

(22) The pressure means 16 comprises a number of separate plates 19, which are arranged in a row. Each plate 19 is connected to a rod 20 which is loaded by a spring 21. In FIG. 11 one can see that when a fibre mat or a roving is unreeled from a reel 18 it is pressed onto a surface by said plate 19. As the plate 19 is spring-loaded it can even follow a curved surface. The pressure means 16 can be used for fibre mats as well as for rovings which are wound in parallel on a reel.

(23) On one side of the pressure means 16 a connector 22 for an industrial robot is provided so that the pressure means 16 can be moved along a vertical web construction or along a mould by an industrial robot.

(24) Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiment, the present invention is not limited by the disclosed examples from which the skilled person is able to derive other variations without departing from the scope of the invention.