Patent Application
20200340207
Hundreds of thousands of tons of used wind turbine blades will be removed and replaced worldwide over the coming years. Typically, the used wind turbine blades are sent to landfills for disposal. Transporting the used wind turbine blades to a landfill is costly as a medium size wind turbine blade is around 120 feet long and weighs around 11,500 pounds or more. Moreover, this practice is an inefficient use of landfill space. Thus, there is a need for an improved system and method for recycling the used wind turbine blades.
The present invention relates to a system and method for cutting and manipulating wind turbine blades.
The present invention relates to a system and method for cutting and manipulating wind turbine blades.
The invention will be better understood in reference to the following drawings, which are examples of an illustrative embodiment and are not limiting as different embodiments of the invention may be realized.
The present invention discloses a system and method for cutting, manipulating and loading wind turbine blades. In a particular illustrative embodiment of the invention water is circulated and filtered stopping discharge of dust and fibers generated by cutting are filtered and substantially prevented from contaminating surrounding air and ground. A slurry created by a water control system is cleaned and hauled to a disposal facility.
As shown in the drawings, in a particular illustrative embodiment of the invention a system and method for cutting, manipulating and loading wind turbine blades is disclosed. As shown in the
An excavator is a heavy machine vehicle which is typically used for the digging of soil and rock. A typical excavator has four parts, a bucket, an arm 45, a boom 46 and a revolving super structure 48 (upper carriage) mounted on a vehicular base 49 with wheels for mobility. The boom rotates 360 degrees. The excavator arm pivots up and down in a vertical plane from a distal end of the excavator boom. The bucket pivots in a vertical plane from a distal end of the of the excavator arm. In a particular illustrative embodiment of the invention a housing 7 having a saw motor, saw blade, a water-jet (water sprayer) and flipper arm are placed on the distal end of the excavator arm and replacing the bucket typically attached to the distal end of the excavator arm. The housing pivots in a vertical plane from the end of the excavator arm.
In a particular illustrative embodiment of the invention a system and method, a saw blade 1 mounted partially inside of the housing 7 extends and protrudes out from a bottom of the housing. As shown in
This secondary drive system is designed to tolerate the increased torque encountered when a wing collapses and pinches the saw blade, stopping the rotation of the driven pulley and attached saw blade. A pressure relief valve is provided to divert hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic motor when a set hydraulic pressure, for example 2000 pounds is exceeded to help relieve the increased torque encountered when the saw blade is pinched. Additionally, to relieve the increased torque when the saw blade is pinched during cutting, the belt slips over the driven or secondary pulley to relieve excess torque on the hydraulic motor in the event of overload due to pinching of the saw blade during cutting. Thus, the increased torque encountered substantially handled by the drive belt slippage on the driven pulley and the hydraulic pressure relief valve and is not transferred to the primary drive pulley attached to the motor. A tensioner is provided to provide appropriate tension on the drive belt. The slipping of the drive belt over the secondary drive pulley enables the primary motor to continue turning while secondary pulley is stopped in its rotation due to the increased resistance to the rotation of the saw blade attached to the secondary pulley of the pinch. The slippage of the drive belt over the secondary pulley prevents the drive motor from burning up due to rotational resistance and increased torque of a pinched saw blade cutting the wind turbine blade. In contrast, a direct drive saw blade that is directly attached to the motor causes the motor endures the increased torque created by a pinched saw blade. This resistance to rotation of the in a direct drive saw attached to a primary hydraulic motor can cause motor failure or damage to the hydraulic motor.
In a particular illustrative embodiment of the invention, the housing and secondary drive pulley accepts saw blades between 14 inches and 48 inches in diameter. In some instances a blade that just cuts through the 3 inch turbine blade shell and not half way through the turbine blade is used. The diameter of the saw blade is chosen to reach halfway through a thickness of a turbine blade. In a particular embodiment, a saw hub to which a saw blade is attached is 4 inches diameter. Thus, a 14-inch diameter blade extends 5 inches beyond the844-inch diameter saw blade hub, providing a cutting radius depth of 5 inches between the end of the saw blade and the hub. The 14-inch saw blade is suitable for cutting wind turbine blades having a thickness of up to ten inches for a top and bottom saw cut of ten inches to completely saw through the thickness of the 20 inch thick wind turbine blade in a double-sided cut, described below. The 48-inch saw blade is suitable for cutting wind turbine blades having a thickness of up to 88 inches for a top and bottom saw cut of 44 inches to completely saw through the thickness of the 88 inch thick wind turbine blade in a double-sided cut.
Larger diameter saws that have a radius sufficient to cut the entire thickness of a wind turbine blade in a single pass, a less safe as they break more easily and subject to more frequent failure than the present invention. Thus, using a larger 88-inch diameter blade, having a cutting radius of 44 inches to cut through a 44-inch thick wind turbine blade is more subject to failure and less safe than using a 48-inch turbine blade of the present invention to perform a double cut on the top and bottom side of the 44-inch turbine blade. The saw blade diameter is changed out to accommodate sawing wind turbine blades of different thicknesses. In a particular illustrative embodiment, the cutting diameter of the saw blade is one inch greater than a one half the thickness of the wind turbine blade.
In another particular embodiment illustrative embodiment of the invention, the 14 inch blade, having a saw blade cutting radius of 5 inches is used to perform a double sided cut on the wind turbine blade having a thickness of 44 inches, as the surface of the wind turbine blade is only 2 inches thick. The saw blade is articulated by the excavator arm so that the housing and saw blade remain perpendicular to a surface of the wind turbine blade so that the saw blade need only saw down 2 inches to cut through an upper shell or lower shell of the wind turbine blade. In the present illustrative embodiment of the invention, as shown in
In another particular embodiment of the invention, a 14-inch blade, having a saw blade cutting radius of 5 inches is used to perform a double sided cut on the wind turbine blade having a thickness of 44 inches, as the surface of the wind turbine blade is only 2 inches thick. The saw blade is articulated by the excavator arm so that the housing and saw blade remain perpendicular to a surface of the wind turbine blade so that the saw blade need only saw down 2 inches to cut through an upper or lower surface of the wind turbine blade during a double sided cut.
In another particular embodiment of the invention, a 10-inch blade, having a saw blade cutting radius of 3 inches is used to perform a double sided cut on the wind turbine blade having a thickness of 44 inches, as the surface of the wind turbine blade is 2 inches thick. The saw blade is articulated by the excavator arm so that the housing and saw blade remain perpendicular to a surface of the wind turbine blade so that the 3 inch radius of saw blade past the hub need only saw down 2 inches to cut through an upper or lower surface of the wind turbine blade during a double sided cut.
A water-jet-to-blade water delivery system is provided pre-plumbed and mounted inside of the housing. A water hose is plumbed to the housing to supply water to a water-jet sprayer and a water-jet sprayer is provided to spray water on the saw blade. The system and method of the present invention are specifically designed for cutting wind turbine blades, manipulating and flipping the wind turbine blades to turn the wind turbine blade over after an initial cut on a top side of a wind turbine blade to cut the underside of the wind turbine blade and completely saw the wind turbine blade into separate pieces. Cutting the wind turbine blades using the system and method of the present invention substantially reduces the original length of the wind turbine blade for loading on to a rack mounted on a transport vehicle, such as an 18-wheeler transport truck for transportation and recycling. In a particular illustrative embodiment 6 water jets are provided to create a near dustless cutting system.
In a particular illustrative embodiment of the invention, a system and method for a cutting and manipulating a wind turbine blade is provided that includes but is not limited to, a sawhorse trough that supports a wind turbine blade during cutting by a housing having a saw blade and flipper arm attached to the housing, wherein the sawhorse supports the wind turbine blade for cutting and the trough catches a mixture of water and debris from the saw cutting the wind turbine blade, in a containment trough formed in a bottom of the sawhorse trough (referred to herein as a “sawhorse”, “trough” or “sawhorse trough”). In a particular illustrative embodiment of the invention the system and method of the present invention, a housing including but not limited to a saw blade and flipper arm is positioned over a wind turbine blade resting on the sawhorse trough for cutting and flipping. The wind turbine blade has two ends, a heavier cylindrical end that is used to attach the wind turbine blade to a wind turbine hub and a lighter pointed distal end opposite the cylindrical end of the wind turbine blade. The wing also a tapered width thickness, thicker on a first edge of the width thickness. The tapered width of the blade causes rotation of wind turbine blades attached to a windmill hub and makes the wind turbine blade aerodynamic when attached to a wind turbine hub causing the wind turbine hub to spin and generate energy under the influence of a wind force blowing against the wind turbine blade.
The cylindrical end is heavier than the pointed end of the wing so that the heavier cylindrical end of the wing stays on the ground when the wind turbine blade is laid on the sawhorse trough edge and the lighter tip end of the wind turbine blade remains in the air off of the ground. A loader such as a forklift places a 120 foot long wind turbine blade on the sawhorse trough. While the wind turbine blade is lying a bottom side of the wind turbine blade on the trough with the cylindrical end on the ground and the pointed tip off the ground creates, a fulcrum is formed under the wind turbine blade where the wind turbine blade lies on an edge of the sawhorse trough. The wind turbine blades are flexible and bend downward argon the fulcrum. The fulcrum formed by the sawhorse trough edge under the wind turbine blade, creates a bending moment on the upper surface of the wing opposite the side of the wing touching the fulcrum. The bending moment causes a shell formed by outer layer of outer skin over a layer of balsa wood on the top side of the wind turbine blade to stretch and makes cutting of the top side shell of the wind turbine blade easier. The wind turbine blade is positioned for cutting and flipping on the sawhorse trough with a longitudinal axis of the wind turbine blade positioned perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the sawhorse trough.
After the wind turbine blade is positioned on the sawhorse trough, with the longitudinal axis of the blade perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the trough, the pointed tip end of the wind turbine blade is suspended in the air and the cylindrical end of the wind turbine blade remains on the ground. The weight of the cylindrical end and the weight and footprint of the sawhorse trough provide a stable stationary cutting surface for the saw blade while sawing the wind turbine blade. Using the saw blade, a first cut is made in the wind turbine blade on the upper side of the wind turbine blade facing away upward toward the saw blade and away from the trough. A bending moment created by the wind turbine blade laying on a fulcrum formed by at least one of two edges of the trough. The bending moment stretches the shell having a laminated outer skin over a balsa wood layer on top of the wind turbine blade making the shell, outer skin and balsa wood easier to cut and substantially avoid pinching the saw blade during cutting of the wind turbine blade shell. The bending moment also relieves tension on the top side of the wing on a saw blade cutting the top side of the wing so that the saw blade is substantially not pinched by the cut being made by the saw in the upper wind turbine shell during cutting. The saw cuts through the stretched shell outer skin and the balsa wood underneath the wind turbine blade skin. The bending moment causes the wind turbing blade upper surface outer skin and balsa wood to tend to separate away from the saw blade during cutting, rather than pinch the saw blade as it cuts through the top surface outer skin and balsa wood of the wind turbine blade. In a particular illustrative embodiment of the invention, a tip of the wind turbine blade is cut off first while the wind turbine blade is supported by the sawhorse. The thickness of the wind turbine blade at the tip end is thinner than a radius of the saw blade protruding from the housing and can be cut in a single pass by the saw blade without flipping the wind turbine blade over for a second cut when the thickness of the wind turbine blade is less than the saw blade protruding from the saw blade hub. In a particular illustrative embodiment, the wind turbine blade is 120 feet long, the tip is sawed off at a 40 foot length so that the tip section cut from the wind turbine blade is 40 feet long and remaining turbine blade is 80 feet long.
After the tip of the wind turbine blade is sawed off into a 40-foot section, the remaining 80 feet section of the wind turbine blade pushed across the sawhorse by a forklift to position the wind turbine blade for a second cut at a second 40-foot mark a cut into sections a second time, subsequent cuts, cutting the wind turbine blade multiple sections.
The thickness of the wind turbine blade beyond the tip increases so that the thickness is greater than the radius of the saw blade protruding from the housing, requiring double sided cuts. Larger radius blade that have sufficient radius to cut the wind turbine blade at the thicker sections of the wind turbine blade in a single pass, are more expensive and subject to breaking more often than the smaller radius saw blades provided in the illustrative embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the smaller radius of the saw blade in an illustrative embodiment of the invention, is less expensive, lasts longer, is safer, lighter and is less subject to breakage.
In a particular illustrative embodiment of the invention, a first cut is made in the wind turbine blade by the saw through the shell on a top side of the wind turbine blade. After the first cut is made through the shell on top side of the wind turbine blade, the flipper arm and rectangular plate are placed under a near edge of the wind turbine blade and the wind turbine blade is flipped over while remaining supported by the sawhorse. The wind turbine blade is moved by the flipper arm mounted to on housing attached to the distal end of the excavator arm as the wind turbine blade is positioned on the trough for double-sided cuts on the rest of the wing. After a first transverse saw cut is made perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the wind turbine blade, removing the 40-foot long tip is made, the wing is lifted and moved by the flipper arm and rectangular plate attached to the top of the saw blade housing. The flipper arm and rectangular plate lift, manipulate and move the wind turbine blade on the sawhorse trough to position and manipulate the wind turbine blade for the double-sided cuts where the width of the wind turbine blade exceeds the radius of the saw blade. The first transverse cut through the shell of the first upper side of the wind turbine blade and a second transverse cut through the shell the flipped bottom side of the wind turbine are referred herein to as a “double-sided cut”.
A water sprayer (jet-spray), mounted inside of the housing sprays liquid, such as water onto the saw blade surface above the cutting edge of the saw, during the saw cutting the wind turbine to remove debris from the saw cuts (saw dust) that are wetted by the spayed liquid and drained down from the cut and saw blade into the trough where the mixture water and debris is captured for removal. The debris is filtered from the mixture for recycling.
The trough is designed to remain stable and immobile during cutting of the wind turbine blades. Thus, the sawhorse weight and sawhorse leg support span and footprint must be sufficient to stabilize and immobilize the trough during cutting, flipping and sliding of the 120 foot long, 11,500 pound wind turbine blade. In a particular illustrative embodiment of the invention, the sawhorse trough weighs approximately 2,000 pounds and has a 10×10 feet footprint. The sawhorse with a water pump installed to supply water to the saw and keep filtering and recirculating water. 1500 gallons of added weight from the water in the trough=12,000 pounds of added weight to keep the trough anchored to the ground.
The sawhorse trough has a first set of extended vertical post members (also referred to as legs) protruding upward on a first end of the sawhorse trough and a second set of extended vertical post members protruding upward on a second end of the trough. The posts on the first end are shorter than the posts on the second end to facilitate access by the saw to the wind turbine blade and increases an excavator operator's visibility of the saw cutting the wind turbine blade on the sawhorse trough over the shorter vertical posts on the first end of the sawhorse trough.
Turning now to
The wind turbine blade lying on the trough with the heavy cylindrical section 28 of the wind turbine blade on the ground (still connected to the wind turbine blade) and the other end suspended in the air 31 off the ground 30, creates a bending moment 21 on the flexible wind turbine blade, wherein the bottom and top shells of the wind turbine blade bend downward toward the Earth's gravitational pull, and on both sides of the fulcrum formed by the wind turbine blade laying on the trough edge 440. The bending moment created by laying the wind turbine blade on the edge of the sawhorse trough stretches the outer skin 22 of the wind turbine blade on the upper side 32 of the wind turbine blade, making the outer skin and the balsa wood 23 under the outer skinon the top side of the wind turbine blade easier to saw through and substantially reduces pinching of the saw blade during cutting of the top side of the wind turbine blade. After the tip of the wind turbine blade is sawed off, the forklift pushes the wind turbine blade along the longitudinal axis of the wind turbine blade, across the transverse verse axis of the sawhorse trough, from the heavy cylindrical end of the wind turbine blade, moving the wind turbine blade along and across the transverse axis (the axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the trough) of the sawhorse trough and into a new position for a second cut across the wind turbine blade further down the longitudinal axis of the wind turbine blade from the first cut removing the tip of the wind turbine blade. The trough is 2000 pounds, heavy enough and has a wide enough footprint 8 feet by 10 feet to remain immobile while the remaining 80 foot section of the 120 foot long 11,000 pound wind turbine blade is pushed along the trough by the forklift after the 40-foot long tip has been sawed off.
Subsequent double-sided cuts are made to cut the wind turbine blade into sections of a desired length by moving the wind turbine blade along its longitudinal axis and performing subsequent double-sided cuts. The wind turbine blade contains spars and spar caps that are avoided in making the cuts. A cut is made on each side of a spar and spar cap so that the portion of the wind turbine blade containing the spar is cut into a separate section.
In a particular illustrative embodiment of the invention for a 1.5-MW wind turbine, a turbine blade is 120 ft in length and weighs 11,000 pounds or more. In this case the sawhorse trough weighs 2000 pounds, is 10 feet long and 3 feet wide with a base area of 8×10 feet between the legs supporting the sawhorse trough. The sawhorse trough is made of steel tubing to make the saw horse trough strong enough and heavy enough so that relative weight and size of the sawhorse trough to the size and size and weight of the wind turbine blade keeps the sawhorse trough immobile on the surface it rests, for example the Earth's surface, while the forklift slides the wind turbine blade on the sawhorse trough for cutting into multiple sections. Further details are provided in
After the wind turbine blade tip 25 is cut off and separated from the remaining portion of the wind turbine blade, a forklift loader removes the tip pushes and slides the remaining portion of the wind turbine blade along the sawhorse trough and in position for a second cut the cuts the remaining portion of the wind turbine blade.
In a particular illustrative embodiment of the invention, a first end 12 of the sawhorse trough includes but is not limited to a heavy metal plate 26 having a height of 18 inches from the horizontal member 20 affixed between a first vertical member 331 and a second vertical member 17 made of steel square tubing having a ½ inch thickness. The heavy metal plate 26 provides a safety barrier to block flying debris and broke saw blades during cutting of the wind turbine blade by the saw blade. The second vertical member 17 and the first vertical member 331 are approximately 3 feet in length and thus extend 18 inches above a top edge of the heavy metal plate 26. The difference in height of the plate and the vertical members forms an opening 19 above the heavy metal plate 26.
A second end of the sawhorse trough includes but is not limited to a heavy metal plate 26 having a height of 48 inches from the horizontal member 24 affixed between a first vertical post member 330 and a second vertical post member 229 made of steel square tubing having a ½ inch thickness. The first end 12 of the of the sawhorse trough is lower in height than a second end of the sawhorse trough to facilitate an operator's visibility from the excavator and physical access of the saw reaching the saw blade and housing onto the wind turbine blade on the sawhorse trough for cutting. The second end 121 of the sawhorse trough is higher than the first end of the sawhorse trough and the heavy metal plate 26 protects bystanders on the loading side of the trough from debris and broken saw blades flying out of the sawhorse trough during the cutting of the wind turbine blades by the saw. The sawhorse trough is longer than the width of the turbine blade to that the full width of the wind turbine blade at the wind turbine blade's widest point so that the wind turbine blade fits onto the sawhorse trough between the ends of the sawhorse trough and supports the wind turbine blade during flipping the wind turbine blade on the sawhorse trough.
In a particular illustrative embodiment of the invention a primary drive and a saw driven by a secondary drive and a flipper attached to the protective hood. A water sprayer, also referred to herein as a water-jet (not shown) is positioned inside of the housing adjacent the saw blade. The water-jet receives water from a water hose 41 and sprays the water onto the saw blade which drains into a cut being made by the saw blade in the turbine wing being sawed while the turbine blade is positioned for cutting lying on the sawhorse trough. The water that is sprayed on the saw blade while it is cutting the turbine blade and drains onto the cut being made in the turbine blade. The water sprayed on the saw blade from the water-jet, mixes with the debris from the cutting of the turbine blade formed by the saw blade cutting into the turbine blade. The mixture of water and debris from the cutting drains down into a receptacle formed in the bottom of the sawhorse trough. The mixture of debris and water in the sawhorse trough is filtered to separate the debris from the water. The water filtered from the mixture is returned to the jet-sprayer. The filtered debris is collected from the mixture from the bottom trough receptacle for recycling to be repurposed in various products such as filling for potholes in the road and formation into road curbs. The trough sides are angular so that the trough is wider at the top of the trough and smaller at the bottom of the trough, to reduce the volume of water and debris contained and that must be supported in the trough. A filter 64 as shown in
In a particular illustrative embodiment of the invention, an indirect drive pulley system is used to drive and rotate the saw blade. A primary drive pulley 5 is attached directly to a hydraulic motor (not shown). A secondary pulley 4 is driven by a drive belt 6 that indirectly drives and turns the saw blade 1. A side view of housing 7 is depicted covering an upper portion of the saw blade 1. The housing has a flipper arm 2 attached to the front of the housing 7. A flat planar rectangular plate 11 is mounted the distal end of the flipper arm, the end opposite from the end of the flipper attached to the housing. The flat planar rectangular plate is used to flip the wind turbine blades over to manipulate the turbine blades during cutting. A first cut is made in a first side (the side facing up when the wind turbine blade is positioned on the sawhorse trough) of the wind turbine blade. After the first cut is made by the saw blade in the housing attached to the excavator arm, the flipper that is attached to the housing is positioned under the wind turbine blade by the excavator arm and is raised under a side edge of the width of the turbine blade to flip the wind turbine blade over to the other side for a second cut while the wind turbine blade is inside of and supported by the sawhorse trough. In a particular illustrative embodiment of the invention, the flipper arm is attached to an upper forward edge of the housing at a 45-degree angle relative to the straight rectilinear bottom side edge 13 of the housing.
Turning now to
Turning now to
A particular illustrative embodiment a system, the system includes but not limited to an excavator having a boom attached to a rotatable carriage and an excavator arm pivotably attached to a distal end of the boom; a housing pivotably attached to a distal end of the excavator arm; a primary drive pulley attached to a motor mounted inside of the housing; a secondary drive pulley attached to a saw blade mounted inside of the housing; a saw bladed attached to a secondary drive pulley hub; a wind turbine blade supported by a sawhorse trough edge for cutting a transverse cut across a width of a top side of a wind turbine blade; and a drive belt running between the primary drive pulley and the secondary drive pulley, wherein rotation of the motor causes secondary pulley and the saw blade to rotate for cutting through the top side of the wind turbine blade and wherein, when the saw blade is pinched during cutting of the top side of the wind turbine blade, saw blade torque caused by a resistance to the rotation of the saw blade caused by the pinched cutting, is substantially relieved by the drive belt slipping on the secondary pulley and the torque caused by the saw blade being pinched is substantially reduced by a slippage on the secondary pulley and substantially not transferred to the primary drive pulley attached to the motor.
In another particular embodiment of the invention, the sawhorse edge provides a fulcrum under the wind turbine blade that creates a bending moment on the wind turbine blade that stretches the top side of the wind turbine blade, making the top side of the turbine blade easier to cut through, wherein the wind turbine blade is placed on the trough edge of wherein a first end of the wind turbine blade is heavier than a second end of the wind turbine blade, wherein the first end of the wind turbine blade remains supported by a surface and a second end is unsupported by the surface, creating a bending moment stretching an outer skin on the top side of the wind turbine blade.
In another particular embodiment of the invention, the top side of the wind turbine blade further comprises an upper shell comprising a balsa wood layer underneath a top outer skin and a hollow volume of air between the upper shell of the wind turbine blade and a upper balsa wood layer inside a lower side shell of the wind turbine blade comprising a lower balsa wood layer underneath a lower outer skin.
In another particular embodiment of the invention, the system further includes but is not limited to a flipper arm attached at a 45 degree angle to the housing, wherein the flipper arm is attached to a top of the housing; and a bottom of the housing from which the saw blade protrudes for cutting and wherein the excavator arm manipulates the flipper arm and flips the wind turbine blade over in the sawhorse trough after a first cut to position the wind turbine blade for a second cut. In another particular embodiment of the invention, the flipper arm further comprises a plate attached on the distal end of the flipper arm, wherein a front edge of the plate attached on the distal end of the flipper arm and a forward edge of the housing touch the surface keeping the saw blade off the surface when the system is stored.
In another particular embodiment of the invention, the system further includes but not limited to a water sprayer jet attached to the housing, wherein the water sprayer jet streams water onto the saw blade during transvers cutting. In another particular embodiment of the invention, the system further includes but not limited to a sawhorse trough for holding a wing for sawing by the saw blade, wherein the trough catches a mixture of debris and water draining from the saw blade during cutting under the water streamed by the water sprayer jet.
In another particular embodiment of the invention, the sawhorse trough further comprises a first pair of posts protruding vertically upward from a first end of the trough and a second pair of posts protruding vertically from a second end of the trough, wherein the sawhorse trough further comprises a first plate between the first pair of vertical posts, wherein the plate is shorter than the first pair of posts and forms an opening between the posts at the top of the posts to facilitates an excavator operator's visibility and saw access during sawing of the wind turbine blades on the sawhorse trough. In another particular embodiment of the invention, the sawhorse trough further comprises a second pair of vertical legs having a plate between the second pair of vertical legs, wherein the second plate is substantially a same height as the second pair of vertical legs and provides a safety barrier between the saw blade and an operator when the saw blade breaks into pieces. In another particular embodiment, the first pair of vertical posts are shorter and the same height as the plate.
In another particular embodiment of the invention, a height of the first pair of vertical posts is 3 feet and a height of the second pair of posts is 4 feet. In another particular embodiment of the invention, the system further includes but not limited to a rack comprising a first pair of vertical arms having an angular top surface to guide wind turbine pieces onto the rack. In another particular embodiment of the invention, the system further includes but not limited to an plurality of right angle sections, each of the plurality of right angle sections mounted on the top of each vertical arm, wherein each of the right angle sections extends out from a central longitudinal axis of the rack, wherein the right angle sections widen a width of the rack so that a larger diameter wind turbine section that is wider than the rack, fits loaded on the right angle sections.
In another particular embodiment of the invention, the saw blade has a 14-inch diameter and is mounted on a 8 inch saw hub having a 4 inch radius, having a 3 inch cutting radius or cutting depth, wherein the wind turbine blade has an thickness of 44 inches and an outer shell thickness of 2 inches, wherein the saw blade and housing are manipulated by the excavator arm to remain perpendicular to a tangential line through the surface of the turbine blade cutting through the outer shell. In another particular embodiment of the invention, the sawhorse trough further comprises a filter that filters debris from a mixture of water and debris, wherein the debris is recycled.
In another particular embodiment of the invention, the saw blade protrudes a distance from the housing that is greater than a thickness of the outer shell and less than the thickness of the wind turbine blade, wherein a bottom edge of the housing is positioned parallel to a tangential line through the shell at a center point of the saw blade and a center point of a circle formed by a radius of curvature of a surface of the outer shell. In another particular embodiment of the invention, the saw blade protrudes 3 inches from the housing, the thickness of the outer shell is 2 inches and the thickness of the wind turbine blade is 14 inches.
In another particular embodiment of the invention, a radius of curvature for the surface of the wind turbine blade varies along a path of the saw blade along the transverse cut, wherein the saw blade and housing are manipulated to enable a substantial portion of the saw blade extending from a saw blade hub is available for cutting at each point along the path of the saw blade performing the transverse cut through the surface of the wind turbine blade, having a different radius of curvature on the surface of the wind turbine blade at a first cut one versus a second two, wherein an operator in the excavator manipulates a straight rectilinear bottom side edge of the saw blade housing so that the bottom edge remains substantially parallel to a tangential line drawn through a point at the center of the saw cut on the surface of the wind turbine blade, the surface at the center point of the cut having a radius of curvature for the surface of the wind turbine blade being sawed and further positions the housing so that a line perpendicular to the tangential line passes through the center of a circle formed by the radius of curvature for the surface of the wind turbine blade being sawed and a center of a circle forming the saw blade, so that as the radius of curvature of the surface of the wind turbine blade changes along the path of the saw cut along the surface of the wind turbine blade during a saw cut, the operator manipulates the housing to change an angle of the housing bottom so that the housing bottom remains substantially parallel to a tangential line passing through the surface of the wind turbine blade and a circle formed by the radius of curvature for the wind turbine blade at the center point of the cut, enabling a substantially full depth of the saw blade protruding from the saw blade hub to be available for cutting the wind turbine blade without interference from the housing bottom edge touching or scraping across the surface of the wind turbine blade preventing the saw blade from descending downward to its substantially full depth, thus and keeping a substantially full depth of the radius of the saw blade from cutting through the surface of the wind turbine blade.
In another particular embodiment of the invention a method is disclosed that includes but not limited to manipulating an excavator having a boom attached to a rotatable carriage and an excavator arm pivotably attached to a distal end of the boom and a housing pivotably attached to a distal end of the excavator arm; rotating a saw blade attached to the distal end of the excavator arm; placing a laminated wind turbine blade on a sawhorse trough edge for cutting a transverse cut across a width of a top side of the turbine blade, wherein the sawhorse edge provides a fulcrum stretching a top side outer skin of the turbine blade, making the outer skin easier to cut, wherein a first end of the wind turbine blade is supported on a surface and a second end is not supported by the surface, thereby creating a bending moment, stretching the top side of the turbine blade, wherein the top side of the wind turbine blade further comprises a shell comprising a balsa wood layer underneath the top outer skin and a hollow volume of air between the balsa wood layer inside the top side of the wind turbine blade and a lower side of the wind turbine blade comprising a balsa wood layer inside a skin; and cutting a transverse cut along a transverse path through the top side of the turbine blade.
In another particular embodiment of the invention method, a radius of curvature for a radius of curvature to the top side of the wind turbine blade varies along a path of the saw blade along the transverse cut through the top side of the wind turbine blade, the method further comprising wherein the saw blade and housing are manipulating the saw blade and housing to enable a substantial portion of the saw blade extending from a saw blade hub is available for cutting at each point along the path of the saw blade performing the transverse cut through the surface of the wind turbine blade, having a different radius of curvature on the surface of the wind turbine blade along a path of the saw blade cutting through the top side of the wind turbine blade.
In another particular embodiment of the invention, the method further includes but not limited to manipulating a straight rectilinear bottom side edge of the saw blade housing so that the bottom edge remains substantially parallel to a tangential line drawn through a point on the top side of the wind turbine blade at a center point of the saw cut on the top side of the wind turbine blade, the surface at the center point of the saw cut having a radius of curvature for the top side of the wind turbine blade being sawed and further positions the housing so that a line perpendicular to the tangential line passes through the center of a circle formed by the radius of curvature for the top side of the wind turbine blade being sawed and a center of a circle forming the saw blade, so that as the radius of curvature of the top side of the wind turbine blade changes along the path of the saw cut along the top side of the wind turbine blade during a saw cut, an operator manipulates the housing to change an angle of the housing bottom so that the housing bottom remains substantially parallel to a tangential line passing through the surface of the wind turbine blade and a circle formed by the radius of curvature for the wind turbine blade at the center point of the cut, enabling a substantially full depth of the saw blade protruding from the saw blade hub to be available for cutting the wind turbine blade without interference from the housing bottom edge touching or scraping across the surface of the wind turbine blade preventing the saw blade from descending downward to its substantially full depth, thus and keeping a substantially full depth of the radius of the saw blade from cutting through the surface of the wind turbine blade.
The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments, and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all the elements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use of the structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived there from, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Figures are also merely representational and may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may be exaggerated, while others may be minimized. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The length of the sawhorse trough is long enough to enable the flipper arm to flip the wind turbine blade inside the length of the sawhorse trough during double sided cutting of the wind turbine blade.
Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any single invention or inventive concept if more than one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover all adaptations or variations of various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. § 1.72(b), requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing. Detailed Description, various features are grouped together in a single embodiment for streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.
This patent application claims priority from U.S. patent application by Mike Denson, filed on Jun. 12, 2019 and entitled “A System and Method for Three-dimensional Positioning a Wind Turbine Blade and a Plurality of Saw Blades with Respect to Each Other for Making a Plurality of Cuts in a Wind Turbine Blades for Recycling”, U.S. Patent application Ser. No. 62/860,770, which is incorporated herein by reference and co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/837,665 filed on 23 Apr. 2019 by Mike Denson entitled A System and Method for Cutting and Manipulating Wind Turbine Blades, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety; and U.S. Patent application entitled “A System and Method for Three Dimensional Positioning a Wind Turbine Blade and a Plurality of Saw Blades with Respect to each other for Making a Plurality of Cuts in a Wind Turbine Blades for Recycling” by Michael Ray Denson Ser. No. 16/797,959 Filed on 21 Feb. 2020, which hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62860770 | Jun 2019 | US | |
| 62837665 | Apr 2019 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16797959 | Feb 2020 | US |
| Child | 16799007 | US |
