The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a system for inspecting a blade component, and more specifically to a system for inspecting a blade component that determines if a defect is present along an outer surface of the blade component where a composite material is applied.
Generally, a wind turbine includes a rotor having multiple blades. The rotor is mounted on a housing, or nacelle, that is positioned on top of a truss or tubular tower. The blades may each include two shell portions and a spar web located between the two shell portions. Spar caps are placed at opposing sides of the spar web. The spar caps provide structural reinforcement of the blade. In one approach, the spar cap may be fabricated by using prepreg materials. The prepreg composites material is generally a layer of fibrous composite material that is impregnated with a polymer resin.
The prepreg material may be applied using a manual or hand lay-up, or by automated or semi-automated methods, such as a cart that moves along a set of tracks. However, when applying the prepreg material, sometimes defects such as, for example, out of plane wrinkles, gaps, fuzz, fiber misalignment, and foreign objects caught in the prepreg material may occur. The current approach to detect defects involves relying on a visual inspection of the prepreg material during lay-up. In the event a defect is detected after the spar cap has cured, non-destructive evaluation (“NDE”) methods may be used, which results in repair and rework.
According to one aspect of the invention, a system for inspecting a blade component is provided, and includes a blade component having an outer surface, a rail, a cart, at least one optical metrology device, and a computing device. The cart is moveable in at least one direction along the rail. The cart includes a composite material that laid on a mold to build the blade component. The optical metrology device is connected to the cart. The optical metrology device monitors application of the composite material to the outer surface of the blade component. The optical metrology device creates a set of measurements based on the outer surface of the blade component where the composite material is applied. The computing device is in communication with the optical metrology device and receives the set of measurements. The computing device includes control logic for determining if the set of measurements indicate a defect is present along the outer surface of the blade component where the composite material is applied.
According to another aspect of the invention, an inspection method for a blade component is provided. The method includes providing a cart that is moveable in at least one direction along a rail. The method also includes building the blade component with a composite material that is laid on a mold as the cart moves in the at least one direction. The method also includes monitoring application of the composite material to the blade component by at least one optical metrology device. The optical metrology device performs a set of measurements of an outer surface of the blade component where the reinforcement material is applied. The optical metrology device is connected to the cart such that the at least one optical metrology device moves in the at least one direction along with the cart. The method includes determining if the set of measurements indicate a defect is present along the outer surface of the blade component where the composite material is applied.
These and other advantages and features will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings.
The subject matter, which is regarded as the invention, is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
The detailed description explains embodiments of the invention, together with advantages and features, by way of example with reference to the drawings.
As used herein the term controller refers to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide the described functionality.
Referring now to
In the exemplary embodiment as shown in
In the embodiment as shown in
The optical metrology device 26 monitors application of the composite material 30 and generates a set of measurements of the outer surface of the blade component 20 where the composite material 30 has been applied. In one exemplary embodiment, the optical metrology device 26 includes a camera (not shown), a laser source (not shown), and a white light source (not shown) such as, for example, an LED light. The optical metrology device 26 obtains the set of measurements based on the outer surface 40 of the blade components 20 where the composite material 30 has been applied. The optical metrology device 26 sends the set of measurements to the computing device 28.
In one approach, the set of measurements from the optical metrology device 26 includes three dimensional or optical metrology data. The computing device 28 includes control logic for calculating three dimensional measurements based on the three dimensional data obtained from the optical metrology device 26. The three dimensional measurements represent the dimensions of the outer surface 40 of the blade component 20 where the composite material 30 has been applied prior to the composite material 30 curing.
The computing device 28 further includes a memory that stores a three dimensional data model. Specifically, the three dimensional data model includes three dimensional data points that indicate a three dimensional defect along the outer surface 40 of the blade component 20 after the composite material 30 has cured. The three dimensional defect is also referred to as an out of plane defect. Some examples of three dimensional defects include, for example, wrinkles, and overlaps in the composite material 30. The computing device 28 includes control logic for comparing the three dimensional measurements prior to the composite material 30 curing with the three dimensional data points that indicate the three dimensional defect after the composite material 30 has cured. The computing device 28 further includes control logic for determining if the three dimensional measurements will result in the three dimensional defect in the reinforcement material 30 after the composite material 30 has had a chance to cure based on the three dimensional data points. The computing device 28 may also include control logic to distinguish an actual defect from nominal part geometry variations that may occur in the blade component 20.
In another approach, the set of measurements from the optical metrology device 26 includes two dimensional data. The computing device 28 includes control logic for calculating two dimensional measurements based on the two dimensional data obtained from the optical metrology device 26. The two dimensional measurements of the outer surface 40 represent the dimensions prior to the composite material 30 curing.
The memory of the computing device 28 stores a two dimensional data model. The two dimensional data model is used to detect a two dimensional defect along the outer surface 40 of the blade component 20 where the composite material 30 has been applied. The two dimensional defect is also referred to as an in plane defect. Some examples of two dimensional defects include, for example, fiber misalignment, fuzz, gaps, or fiber breakage in the composite material 30. The computing device 28 includes control logic for comparing the two dimensional measurements prior to the composite material 30 curing with the two dimensional data points that indicate the two dimensional defect after the composite material 30 has cured. The computing device 28 further includes control logic for determining if the two dimensional measurements will result in the two dimensional defect in the composite material 30 after the composite material 30 has had a chance to cure based on the two dimensional data points.
A method of operating the inspection system 10 will now be discussed.
In 204, the composite material 30 is laid on to a mold 38 to build the blade component 20. Process 200 may then proceed to 206.
In 206, the application of the composite material 30 is monitored by an optical metrology device 26. The optical metrology device 26 generates a set of measurements based on the outer surface 40 of the blade component 20 where the composite material 30 has been applied. Process 200 may then proceed to 208.
In 208, the computing device 28 includes control logic for determining if a defect is present. Specifically, the computing device 28 includes control logic for for determining if the set of measurements indicate a defect is present along the outer surface 40 of the blade component 20 where the composite material 30 is applied. Process 200 may then terminate.
The inspection system 10 for the blade component 20 as described in
While the invention has been described in detail in connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that the invention is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the invention can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, while various embodiments of the invention have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the invention may include only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.