Patent Application
20120051898
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a wind turbine component and, more particularly, to a wind turbine component having a lightweight structure.
Wind turbine powertrain components are often subject to large vibrational stresses. These vibrations can lead to premature failure of powertrain components and significant noise generation.
According to one aspect of the invention, a wind turbine component having a lightweight structure is provided and includes a metallic matrix defining a cavity, metallic foam enclosed within the cavity and a solidification metallurgical bond formed at an entire interface between the metallic matrix and the metallic foam.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method to form a wind turbine component configured to have a lightweight structure is provided and includes shaping a mold cavity between metallic foam and an exterior mold, filling a molten metallic matrix into the mold cavity to enclose the metallic foam and, as the molten metallic matrix cools, forming a solidification metallurgical bond at an entire interface between the metallic matrix and the metallic foam.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a method to form a wind turbine component configured to have a lightweight structure is provided and includes shaping a mold cavity within a metallic matrix having an opening, filling the mold cavity with molten metallic material and a foaming agent, closing the opening such that the metallic matrix encloses the mold cavity and, as the molten metallic material cools and foams within the mold cavity, forming a solidification metallurgical bond at an entire interface between the metallic matrix and the metallic foam.
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.
In accordance with aspects, a vibration damping noise reduction lightweight structure is provided for use as a multi-ton component of various types of apparatuses. These apparatuses may include, for example, wind turbines and similar components of power generation plants. The lightweight structure may include, for example, hollow tubing and/or castings of metallic materials filled by foams of metallic materials with a solidification metallurgical bond formed at an entire interface between the metallic materials and the foams.
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In the case of the wind turbine, by replacing conventional multi-ton components with simple or complex shapes with the lightweight structure 10, the height of the wind turbine can be increased as necessary to comply with local regulations and to place the rotor blades in the wind stream as much as possible. Due to the resulting decrease in the overall weight of the wind turbine, operational noise and wind turbine vibrations may be dampened. Moreover, since wind turbines configured to have lightweight components are increasingly flexible in terms of being usable in various environments and localities, the use of wind power as an alternate source of energy may increase.
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The shaping may include cleaning a surface of the metallic foam 101 by at least one or more of sand blasting, grit blasting, dry ice blasting, electrolytic cleaning, acid cleaning to create desired surface topography and by the removal of oxides and/or other non-metallic surface compounds. The shaping may further include pre-heating the metallic foam 101 to limit or prevent cracking or porosity upon exposure thereof to the heat of the molten metal of the metallic matrix 103. The method may also include forming a sacrificial layer 105 about a surface of the metallic foam 101 to further limit or prevent cracking or to assist with bonding. This sacrificial layer 105 will be consumed by the molten metallic materials 103 upon the filling operation or will otherwise be dispersed throughout the lightweight structure 10 such that the solidification metallurgical bond 104 can be formed at the entire interface between the metallic matrix 103 and the metallic foam 101. Still further, the method may also include defining core regions 106 in the mold cavity by, for example, inserting cores therein. These cores may be formed to, for example, survive the filling operation such that, following the filling operation, the cores can be removed with the core regions 106 left in tact.
Once the metallic matrix 103 has solidified and cooled by a predefined degree, the method may further include conducting a heat treatment, such as at least one of a solution heat treatment to improve the solidification metallurgical bond 104 and an age heat treatment depending on a type of materials being used for the metallic matrix 103 and the metallic foam 101.
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The shaping may include cleaning a surface of the metallic matrix 201 by at least one or more of sand blasting, grit blasting, dry ice blasting, electrolytic cleaning, acid cleaning to create desired surface topography and by the removal of oxides and/or other non-metallic surface compounds. The shaping may further include pre-heating the metallic matrix 201 to limit or prevent cracking or porosity upon exposure to the molten metallic material 202. The method may also include forming a sacrificial layer 205 similar to the sacrificial layer described above about a surface of the metallic matrix 201 to further limit or prevent cracking or to assist with bonding. Still further, the method may also include defining core regions 206 in the mold cavity 200 by, for example, inserting cores therein in a process similar to what is described above. The inserted cores can be removed once solidification is complete by way of a through-hole or a similar feature formed in the metallic matrix 201.
Once the metallic matrix 201 has cooled by a predefined degree, the method may further include conducting at least one of a solution heat treatment to improve the solidification metallurgical bond 204 and an age heat treatment.
In accordance with still further embodiments, the methods described above may also include controlling a distribution of the metallic material in the metallic foam 30 in accordance with known methods.
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.
