The present disclosure relates generally to wind turbines, and more particularly to systems and method for manufacturing rotor blade components for wind turbines using additive manufacturing and scanning techniques.
Wind power is considered one of the cleanest, most environmentally friendly energy sources presently available, and wind turbines have gained increased attention in this regard. A modern wind turbine typically includes a tower, a generator, a gearbox, a nacelle, and a rotor having a rotatable hub with one or more rotor blades. The rotor blades capture kinetic energy of wind using known airfoil principles. The rotor blades transmit the kinetic energy in the form of rotational energy so as to turn a shaft coupling the rotor blades to a gearbox, or if a gearbox is not used, directly to the generator. The generator then converts the mechanical energy to electrical energy that may be deployed to a utility grid.
The rotor blades generally include a suction side shell and a pressure side shell typically formed using molding processes that are bonded together at bond lines along the leading and trailing edges of the blade. Further, the pressure and suction shells are relatively lightweight and have structural properties (e.g., stiffness, buckling resistance and strength) which are not configured to withstand the bending moments and other loads exerted on the rotor blade during operation. Thus, to increase the stiffness, buckling resistance, and strength of the rotor blade, the body shell is typically reinforced using one or more structural components (e.g., opposing spar caps with a shear web configured therebetween) that engage the inner pressure and suction side surfaces of the shell halves. The spar caps and/or shear web may be constructed of various materials, including but not limited to glass fiber laminate composites and/or carbon fiber laminate composites. Many rotor blades often also include a leading edge bond cap positioned at the leading edge of the rotor blade between the suction side and pressure side shells.
Manufacturing the rotor blades and components thereof can be a challenging process as process control is currently limited. In addition, due to the size and complexity of the rotor blades, building such parts with compliant materials makes building to the intended design difficult. Small inaccuracies can have a significant impact on the aerodynamic performance of the final blade. For example, many rotor blades are formed using molds. However, changes in the mold shape due to thermal expansion due to heating and cooling cycles can offset the manufacturing process. Deviations in the finished component shape can have negative effects on wind turbine performance and safety.
Accordingly, the present disclosure is directed to systems and methods improving build capabilities to ensure a final part is much closer to the intended design. Additionally, the systems and methods of the present disclosure can provide an as-build model for future development and compensation.
Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a system for manufacturing a blade component of a rotor blade of a wind turbine includes a blade mold of the rotor blade, at least one blade skin arranged atop the blade mold, and a computer numeric control (CNC) device comprising a printer head and a scanning device. The printer head is configured for printing and depositing a material onto the at least one blade skin to form the blade component. The scanning device includes a processor and a scanner communicatively coupled to the processor. The scanning device is for determining a profile of the at least one blade skin atop the blade mold as the blade component is being printed and deposited layer by layer such that the printer head is automatically adjusted to compensate for changes in the profile in at least one of a horizontal direction or a vertical direction due to at least one of thermal expansion of the blade mold, thickness variations of fibers of the at least one blade skin, movement of the at least one blade skin atop the blade mold, or material shrinkages on previous printed layers.
In an embodiment, the scanning device is configured to determine the profile of the at least one blade skin atop the blade mold in real-time.
In another embodiment, the at least one blade skin may further include one or more reference features formed therein for aligning the at least one blade skin atop the blade mold. Thus, in several embodiments, the scanning device is further configured to determine a starting location for the printer head to start printing and depositing the material based on locations of the one or more reference features.
In an embodiment, determining the profile of the at least one blade skin atop the blade mold may include scanning, via the scanner, the at least one blade skin as the blade component is being printed and deposited to generate one or more measurement signals, receiving, via the processor, the one or more measurement signals, and determining the at least one blade skin as the blade component is being printed and deposited in real-time based on the one or more measurement signals.
For example, in one embodiment, the measurement signal(s) may include at least two reference points on the at least one blade skin as the blade component is being printed and deposited. As such, in an embodiment, the printer head can be automatically adjusted to compensate for changes in the profile in the horizontal and/or vertical directions by generating a printing path in real-time based the reference point(s) or correcting a predetermined printing path of the printer head based the reference point(s).
In particular embodiments, the scanner may be a proximity sensor (such as laser, ultrasound, infrared, optical, magnetic, radar and/or capacitive sensors) or a touch probe. Accordingly, in an embodiment, the method may further include using the scanner to locate one or more reference features on the blade mold.
In certain embodiments, the blade component described herein may be a blade shell, a spar cap, a shear web, a leading edge bond cap, and/or a reinforcement structure.
In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a method for manufacturing a blade component of a rotor blade of a wind turbine. The method includes arranging at least one blade skin atop a blade mold of the blade component, printing and depositing, via a printer head of a computer numeric control (CNC) device, a material onto the at least one blade skin atop the blade mold to form the blade component, scanning, via a scanning device, a profile of the at least one blade skin atop the blade mold as the blade component is being printed and deposited layer by layer; and, automatically adjusting the printer head based on the scanning to compensate for changes in the profile in at least one of a horizontal direction or a vertical direction due to at least one of thermal expansion of the blade mold, thickness variations of fibers of the at least one blade skin, movement of the at least one blade skin atop the blade mold, or material shrinkages on previous printed layers.
It should be understood that the method may further include any of the additional steps and/or features as described herein.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which:
Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
In general, the present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for manufacturing a blade component of a rotor blade of a wind turbine. More specifically, a scanning or probing device can be used to obtain the profile of wind turbine blade components or other wind turbine components and fixtures through measurement of at least two reference points. These reference points can be used to locate features on the components/blade skins, the components/blade skins relative to the fixtures/molds, and the components/blade skins relative to other components/blade skins during assemble and printing/manufacturing. In addition, the reference points can also be used on manufacturing the components, e.g. water jet the blade skins, as well as the blade assembly process.
Additionally, the scanning/probing devices described herein can be used in real time to provide closed-loop control to automated equipment such as printer heads or other tooling for compensation of where to place printed components. This allows tracking of the blade and/or mold during printing as well as tracking of previous additive layers so the printer head can compensate for deviations in print positions both horizontally and vertically. In particular, the blade molds may be heated, and due to thermal expansion, in-process measurement is required to ensure at least the first layer of printing is applied in the correct location. Thus, real-time scanning provides an as-built model for record and future evaluation of each part as well as future CAD model updates.
Scanning/probing of the reference points and/or features allows for ensuring the blade mold is in the correct position relative to printer. In addition, measurement of the mold surface allows for projecting of the grid to blade skin surface. Moreover, measurement of the mold in various thermal conditions (e.g. cold and hot conditions) helps in understanding thermal deformation of the mold for closed-loop compensation of the printer head. Further, measurement of the blade skin can account for deviations between the expected skin-in-mold position and the actual position due to insufficient manufacturing and/or clamping, which leads to shifting. Closed-loop compensation can also be used to correct a predetermined printing path or to generate a printing path in real-time. The data collected can also be used for blade quality inspection, future design, and process control/improvement through machine learning.
Referring now to the drawings,
Referring now to
More specifically, as shown, the main blade structure 15 may include any one of or a combination of the following: a pre-formed blade root section 20, a pre-formed blade tip section 22, one or more one or more continuous spar caps 48, 50, 51, 53, one or more shear webs 35 (
Referring particularly to
In additional embodiments, it should be understood that the blade segment portion of the blade 16 may include any combination of the segments described herein and are not limited to the embodiment as depicted. More specifically, in certain embodiments, the blade segments 21 may include any one of or combination of the following: pressure and/or suction side segments 44, 46, (
More specifically, as shown in
In specific embodiments, as shown in
Similarly, the blade tip section 22 may include one or more longitudinally extending spar caps 51, 53 infused therewith. More specifically, as shown, the spar caps 48, 50, 51, 53 may be configured to be engaged against opposing inner surfaces of the blade segments 21 of the rotor blade 16. Further, the blade root spar caps 48, 50 may be configured to align with the blade tip spar caps 51, 53. Thus, the spar caps 48, 50, 51, 53 may generally be designed to control the bending stresses and/or other loads acting on the rotor blade 16 in a generally span-wise direction (a direction parallel to the span 23 of the rotor blade 16) during operation of a wind turbine 10. In addition, the spar caps 48, 50, 51, 53 may be designed to withstand the span-wise compression occurring during operation of the wind turbine 10. Further, the spar cap(s) 48, 50, 51, 53 may be configured to extend from the blade root section 20 to the blade tip section 22 or a portion thereof. Thus, in certain embodiments, the blade root section 20 and the blade tip section 22 may be joined together via their respective spar caps 48, 50, 51, 53.
Referring to
In addition, as shown in
Referring now to
Referring particularly to
More specifically, as shown, the printer head 104 (or extruders) may include a print nozzle 114 mounted to a gantry 112 or frame structure such that the printer head 104 can move in multiple directions. In addition, as shown, the printer head 104 may be secured above the blade mold 110. Thus, as shown, the print nozzle 114 of the printer head 104 is configured to print and deposit a material onto a printing surface atop the blade mold 110 to form or build up the blade component.
The material described herein may include any suitable flowable material including polymers, concrete, metals, etc. For example, suitable polymer materials may include thermoplastics, which generally encompass a plastic material or polymer that is reversible in nature. For example, thermoplastic materials typically become pliable or moldable when heated to a certain temperature and returns to a more rigid state upon cooling. Further, thermoplastic materials may include amorphous thermoplastic materials and/or semi-crystalline thermoplastic materials. For example, some amorphous thermoplastic materials may generally include, but are not limited to, styrenes, vinyls, cellulosics, polyesters, acrylics, polysulphones, and/or imides. More specifically, exemplary amorphous thermoplastic materials may include polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), glycolised polyethylene terephthalate (PET-G), polycarbonate, polyvinyl acetate, amorphous polyamide, polyvinyl chlorides (PVC), polyvinylidene chloride, polyurethane, or any other suitable amorphous thermoplastic material. In addition, exemplary semi-crystalline thermoplastic materials may generally include, but are not limited to polyolefins, polyamides, fluropolymer, ethyl-methyl acrylate, polyesters, polycarbonates, and/or acetals. More specifically, exemplary semi-crystalline thermoplastic materials may include polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene, polyphenyl sulfide, polyethylene, polyamide (nylon), polyetherketone, or any other suitable semi-crystalline thermoplastic material.
Referring still to
Referring particularly to
For example, in an embodiment, the scanner(s) 118 is configured to scan the blade skin(s) 108 atop the blade mold 110 (or the current printing surface) to generate one or more measurement signals. In one embodiment, as shown in
In additional embodiments, the blade skin(s) 108 may include the reference features 126 formed therein. Thus, the blade skin(s) 108 can be easily aligned atop the blade mold 110 using the reference features 126. Thus, in several embodiments, the scanning device 106 may also be configured to determine a starting location for the printer head 104 to start printing and depositing the material based on locations of the reference features 126.
Alternatively or in addition, as shown in
Thus, the processor 116 of the scanning device 106 is configured to receive the measurement signal(s) and determine the profile of the blade skin(s) atop the blade mold 110 as the blade component is being printed and deposited in real-time based on the measurement signal(s). For example, as shown in
Referring now to
As shown at (202), the method 200 includes arrange at least one blade skin atop a blade mold of the blade component. As shown at (204), the method 200 includes printing and depositing, via the printer head 104 of the CNC device 102, a material onto the at least one blade skin atop the blade mold to form the blade component. As shown at (206), the method 200 includes scanning, via the scanning device 106, a profile of the at least one blade skin atop the blade mold as the blade component is being printed and deposited layer by layer. As shown at (208), the method 200 includes automatically adjusting the printer head 104 based on the scanning to compensate for changes in the profile in at least one of a horizontal direction or a vertical direction due to at least one of thermal expansion of the blade mold, thickness variations of fibers of the at least one blade skin, movement of the at least one blade skin atop the blade mold, or material shrinkages on previous printed layers.
The skilled artisan will recognize the interchangeability of various features from different embodiments. Similarly, the various method steps and features described, as well as other known equivalents for each such methods and feature, can be mixed and matched by one of ordinary skill in this art to construct additional systems and techniques in accordance with principles of this disclosure. Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all such objects or advantages described above may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the systems and techniques described herein may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other objects or advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.
While only certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention.
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/US2020/030631 | 4/30/2020 | WO |