Method for producing a rotor blade root half and a manufacturing mould therefor

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method for producing a component of a rotor blade in that a vacuum film (16) is placed on a positive mould (1), layers (17) are laid on the positive mold (1), a negative mould (3) is pivoted over the occupied positive mold (1), the vacuum film (16) is then sealed from the negative mould (3), a vacuum is then drawn against the negative mold (3), and the negative mould (3) together with the layers (17) is then pivoted back.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a component of a rotor blade comprising: placing a vacuum film (16) on a positive mould, whereby layers (17) are placed on the positive mould, the positive mould comprising an elliptical shape; pivoting a negative mould (3) from a first position to a second position over the positive mould; rolling the positive mould from the elliptical shape to a semi-cylindrical shape with the layers (17) placed thereon; sealing the vacuum film (16) on the negative mould (3); drawing a vacuum against the negative mould (3); and pivoting the negative mould (3) back to the first position with the layers (17).

2. The method of claim 1, further including lowering the negative mould (3) onto the positive mould.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein rolling the positive mould from the elliptical shape to the semi-cylindrical shape comprises rolling the positive mould from an apex section of the positive mould to an edge section of the positive mould with the layers (17) placed thereon.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the layers (17) and the vacuum film (16) are clamped in place on the positive mould.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein an infusion method is carried out.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a manufacturing mould according to the present disclosure with a subnormally bent positive mould and a negative mould arranged above the positive mould;

(2) FIG. 2 shows the manufacturing mould in FIG. 1 with a normally curved positive mould and a negative mould arranged above the positive mould.

(3) The manufacturing mould according to the disclosure comprises a positive mould 1, which is fastened to a first frame 2, and a negative mould 3, which is fastened to a second frame 4. Here, the first and the second frame 2, 4 are connected in an articulated manner with respect to one another in such a way that the negative mould 3, as shown in FIG. 1 can be folded over the positive mould 1 in the folded-up state and, in the unfolded state, can be folded around a joint (not shown) next to the first frame 2 and the positive mould 1. However, other types of construction e.g. resolved constructions, are also conceivable, in which the negative mould 3 can be lifted over the positive mould by means of a crane or other lifting means.

(4) The positive mould 1 has a first bearing surface 7 which is cylindrical in shape. A cross-section of the cylinder surface can be continuously adjusted between the strict circular arc shape and an elliptical shape.

(5) The negative mould 3 has a second bearing surface 8 which is cylindrically formed. The second support surface 8 does not need to be adjustable in its curvature in cross-section. The negative mould 3 is fastened in a positionally fixed manner to the second frame 4 by means of spacers 9. Alternatively, the spacers 9 can also be adjustable in length.

(6) The positive mould 1, on the other hand, is adjustably connected to the first frame 2 via hydraulically, electrically or pneumatically adjustable positioning elements 1, in such a way that by moving the adjustable positioning elements 11 in and out, as shown in FIG. 1, the first support surface 7 is moved out of its exact shape, which is circular in cross-section, into an elliptical shape, so that an enlarged gap 12 is formed between the positive mould 1 and the negative mould 3. At their respective position, the positioning elements 11 adjust a distance between the first support surface 7 and the first frame 2; at other positions, the distance between the first support surface 7 and the first frame 2 remains the same.

(7) FIG. 1 shows that the adjustable positioning elements 11 are arranged along the apex section 18 and along two lower edge sections 13a, 13b of the positive mould 1. The positioning elements 11 are extended in a controlled manner from the apex section 18 to the edge sections and the layers 17 are thereby rolled out. The first and the second frame 2, 4 can be moved relative to one another via a lifting and lowering system 14 which acts between the first and second frames 2, 4.

(8) The manufacturing mould according to the disclosure is particularly suitable for producing prefabricated rotor blade roots which are subsequently installed in rotor blades. In order to produce the prefabricated components, so-called prefabs, the production mould according to the disclosure is suitable for use with respect to rotor blade roots. In other variations, the manufacturing mould may also be used to manufacture other prefabs.

(9) The positive mould 1 is arranged on the first frame 2. The first bearing surface 7 of the positive mould 1 is formed semi-cylindrically, the first bearing surface 7 being adjustable in its cross-section and being adjustable from the exactly circular-arc-shaped cross-sectional shape into an elliptical cross-sectional shape with the inwardly drawn lower edge sections 13a, 13b. The positive mould 1 consists of a thin laminate which is flexible or also of sheet metal or other suitable materials.

(10) In order to produce half the root of the rotor blade, a vacuum film 16, which preferably completely covers the first support surface 7, is first placed directly on the first support surface 7 on the positive mould 1.

(11) Different woven and/or laid layers 17 are applied to the vacuum film 16 one above the other or adjacent to one another. These may be glass-fiber-containing layers, carbon-fiber-containing layers, textile fabric layers or the like. The woven and/or laid fabric layers 17 cover the first support surface 7 preferably also completely. Its lateral edge is provided on both longitudinal sides of the first support surface 7 with a respective clamp 18a, 18b firmly clamped. The woven and/or laid fabric layers 17 are thus stacked one on top of the other, firmly clamped at their lateral edges and arranged in a non-slip manner on the first support surface 7. After the sequence of woven and/or laid layers 17 is completed in order to form the rotor blade root prefabs, the negative mould 3 is pivoted via the positive mould 1 by means of the pivoting mechanism and lowered to such an extent by means of the lifting and lowering system 14 until a contact between the second support surface 8 of the negative mould 3 and the stack of the woven and/or laid layers 17 comes about at the apex section of the positive and negative mould 1, 3 arranged one above the other. This position is illustrated in FIG. 1.

(12) Subsequently, the positive mould 1 is rolled out both to the left and to the right edge section 13a, 13b, meaning that the positioning elements 11 are extended from the upper positioning elements one after the other to the lower positioning elements 11 in order to bend the first support surface 7 from the subnormal elliptical shape into a normal circular shape. In this case, however, care is taken that a contact of the second bearing surface with the stack of woven and/or laid layers 17 runs continuously downward from a vertex section 18 to the two edge sections 13a, 13b. As a result of the rolling movement, it is ensured that no waves are formed in the layer structure, but rather possible waves press out from the apex section 18 towards the edge sections 13a, 13b.

(13) After the first support surface 7 has also assumed an exactly circular arc-shaped configuration and the second support surface 8, which is distributed over the entire second support surface 8, rests on the structure of woven and/or laid layers 17, the clamps 18a, 18b of the positive mould 1 are released, and the vacuum film 16 is released and folded over and is air-tightly secured to the negative mould 3 by means of an adhesive tape 19 or the like. The described state is shown in FIG. 2. Identical reference numerals indicate the same features in FIG. 2.

(14) In a subsequent step, the negative mould 3 is swivelled again and the production mould is unfolded, so that the negative mould 3 is arranged next to the positive mould 1 in an upwardly open arrangement and the structure of woven and/or laid layers 17 is accessible from above in a conventional manner. Before pivoting, a vacuum is drawn against the negative mould 3. As a result, the woven and/or laid fabric layers 17 can then be pivoted in a movement-stable manner with respect to the second supporting surface 8.

(15) After the negative mould 3 has been pivoted, an infusion method is carried out in a conventional manner in a layer structure of the woven and/or laid layers 17, which forms over the negative mould 3, and a rotor blade half-root is produced. The rotor blade half-root is then inserted as a prefab into a rotor blade half-shell and is connected to further components such as belts, webs or the like to the rotor blade half-shell. The two rotor blade half-shells are then likewise pivoted over one another by means of a pivotable production mould and bonded to form a rotor blade.

(16) The production mould according to the disclosure has, in particular, a central control (not shown) for the positioning elements 11 which bend the shape of the first support surface 7.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

(17) 1 Positive form 2 First frame 3 Negative form 4 Second frame 7 first support surface 8 second support surface 9 Spacer 11 Positioning elements 12 Gap 13 a Lower edge section 13 b Lower edge section 14 Lifting and lowering system 16 Vacuum film 17 Woven and/or laid layers 18 Apex section 18 a Clip 18 b Clip 19 Adhesive tape