Abstract: A blade segment for a wind turbine rotor blade may generally include a body shell terminating at a joint end. The body shell may include a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The blade segment may also include a plurality of pressure side tubes extending adjacent to the pressure side of the body shell and a plurality of suction side tubes extending adjacent to the suction side of the body shell, with the plurality of pressure side tubes being spaced apart from the plurality of suction side tubes along a flapwise direction of the rotor blade.

Abstract: A rotor blade may generally include a shell forming an outer skin of the blade, with the shell defining a chordwise curvature. The rotor blade may also include a spar cap extending within the shell along a spanwise direction of the blade. The spar cap may be formed from an assembly of pre-cured laminate plates. In addition, the rotor blade may include an interior shelf positioned directly between the shell and the spar cap. The interior shelf may include an outer surface extending adjacent to the shell and an inner surface opposite the outer surface. The outer surface may define a curved profile generally corresponding to a portion of the chordwise curvature of the shell and the inner surface may define a planar surface along which the spar cap extends in a chordwise direction of the blade. The interior shelf may correspond to a pre-fabricated insert for the blade.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a rotor blade component for a wind turbine. The rotor blade component includes a plurality of pre-cured members arranged in one or more layers. Each of the pre-cured members is constructed of a plurality of fiber materials cured together via a resin material having a first stiffness and at least additional material having a second stiffness. Further, the second stiffness is lower than the first stiffness. As such, the additional low-stiffness material is cured within the resin material so as to increase flexibility of the pre-cured members.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a method for assembling a modular rotor blade of a wind turbine. The method includes providing a pre-formed blade root section and a pre-formed blade tip section of the rotor blade. Further, the blade root section includes one or more spar caps extending in a generally span-wise direction. Another step includes providing at least one pre-formed blade segment of the rotor blade. The method also includes mounting the at least one blade segment around the one or more spar caps of the blade root section, wherein the at least one blade segment includes a chord-wise cross-section having multiple joints, wherein at least one joint is located on at least one of a pressure side surface or a suction side surface. In addition, the method also includes joining the blade tip section to at least one of the one or more spar caps or the at least one blade segment.

Abstract: A method for balancing segmented rotor blades for a wind turbine may include determining a weight for each of a plurality of blade segments, wherein each blade segment extends between a first end and a second and is configured to form a common spanwise section of a segmented rotor blade between the first and second ends. The method may also include determining an initial static moment for each blade segment based on the weight of the blade segment, wherein the initial static moment of at least one of the blade segments differing from the initial static moments of the remainder of the blade segments. Additionally, the method may include adding mass to each of the blade segments to increase the initial static moment for each blade segment to a predetermined static moment, wherein the predetermined static moment is greater than each of the initial static moments of the blade segments.

Abstract: The present subject matter is directed to a method for operating a wind turbine. The method includes calculating one or more blade root loads, e.g. a blade root resultant moment, of at least one rotor blade of the wind turbine. Another step includes estimating a span-wise loading of the rotor blade based at least partially on the one or more blade root loads. The method also includes determining a deformation margin of the rotor blade based at least partially on the span-wise loading and one or more estimated deformations occurring on the rotor blade. Another step includes controlling the wind turbine based on the deformation margin.

Abstract: A jointed rotor blade assembly may include a first blade segment having a first outer shell terminating at a first joint end and a second blade segment coupled to the first blade segment at a blade joint. The second blade segment may include a second outer shell terminating at a second joint end. The outer shells may overlap one another at the blade joint such that an overlapping region is defined between the first and second joint ends. In addition, the first outer shell may be spaced apart from the second outer shell along at least a portion of the overlapping region such that a gap is defined between the outer shells within the overlapping region. Moreover, the rotor blade assembly may include a sealing member positioned between the outer shells within the overlapping region that is configured to allow relative movement between the outer shells at the blade joint.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to spar caps for wind turbine rotor blades and methods of manufacturing same. The spar cap includes a plurality of plies having varying lengths that are arranged in a tapered configuration. Further, the tapered configuration includes at least an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion is configured for attachment to at least one of a pressure side or a suction side of the rotor blade. Further, one or more plies of the upper and lower portions tapers towards an intermediate ply configured between the upper and lower portions of the spar cap. In addition, the intermediate ply has a length that is shorter than the plies in the upper and lower portions.

Abstract: A spar cap for a rotor blade of a wind turbine is disclosed. The rotor blade includes a blade root and a blade tip, leading and trailing edges, pressure and suction sides, and at least one spar cap configured on an internal surface of either or both the pressure or suction sides. The spar cap includes one or more layers of a first material and a second conductive material contacting at least one of the layers of the first material. Further, the conductive material is different than the first material. Thus, the conductive material is configured with the first material so as to create an equipotential spar cap.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a method for manufacturing a thermoset component having a weldable thermoplastic interface. The method includes forming a polymerized thermoplastic component having a removable protective layer on a portion thereof. Another step includes placing a plurality of dry plies and the thermoplastic component into a mold of the thermoset component with the removable protective layer facing an outer surface of the thermoset component mold. Thus, the method further includes co-infusing the dry plies and thermoplastic component with a resin material so as to form the thermoset component having a weldable thermoplastic interface.

Abstract: A system and method for braking a wind turbine includes monitoring rotation of the wind turbine generator rotor. A braking torque is applied to reduce the rotational speed of the rotor at a first setpoint rotational speed. The braking torque is proportionally increased as the rotational speed of the rotor increases beyond the first detected setpoint rotational speed up to a maximum braking torque.

Abstract: A wind turbine blade has an upper shell member and a lower shell member bonded at a leading and trailing edge of the blade with a bond paste applied between respective forward and rearward edges of the shell members. At least one of the shell members includes a first inspection window defined therein along one of the leading edge or trailing edge at a location corresponding at least to a design minimum bond width of the bond paste applied at the respective leading edge or trailing edge. The inspection window provides a visible access through the shell member such that a visible indication is generated through the inspection window when bond paste is injected and reaches the minimum bond width location in the chord-wise direction.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to pre-cured composites for use in manufacturing rotor blade components of a wind turbine. In one embodiment, the pre-cured composites are pultruded composites having a continuous base portion with a plurality of integral protrusions extending from the continuous base portion, and a fabric layer cured with the continuous base portion. Further, adjacent protrusions are separated by a gap.

Abstract: A blade segment for a wind turbine rotor blade may generally include a body shell terminating at a joint end. The body shell may include a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The blade segment may also include a plurality of pressure side tubes extending adjacent to the pressure side of the body shell and a plurality of suction side tubes extending adjacent to the suction side of the body shell, with the plurality of pressure side tubes being spaced apart from the plurality of suction side tubes along a flapwise direction of the rotor blade.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to thermoplastic airflow modifying elements for a rotor blade for a wind turbine and methods of assembling same. The rotor blade may be constructed from at least one of a thermoset material or a thermoplastic material. Further, the rotor blade includes a blade shell defining an outer surface. Moreover, the rotor blade includes one or more layers of thermoplastic material infused to the outer surface of the blade shell so as to define one or more attachment locations. In addition, the rotor blade includes at least one airflow modifying element constructed, at least in part, from a thermoplastic material. Thus, the airflow modifying element(s) is welded to one of the attachment locations on the outer surface of the blade shell.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method for manufacturing a spar cap for a wind turbine rotor blade may generally include stacking a plurality of plates together to form a plate assembly, wherein each of the plates is formed from a fiber-reinforced composite including a plurality of fibers surrounded by a thermoplastic resin material. The method may also include positioning the plate assembly relative to a mold defining a mold surface, wherein the mold surface is shaped so as to correspond to at least one blade parameter of the wind turbine rotor blade. In addition, the method may include applying pressure to the plate assembly via the mold such that at least a portion of the plate assembly conforms to the shape of the mold surface.

Abstract: A rotor blade component for a wind turbine rotor blade may generally include an assembly of pre-formed pultruded products. Each pultruded product may include an interior pultruded portion formed from a first fiber-reinforced composite including a first plurality of fibers surrounded by a thermoset resin material and an exterior pultruded portion encapsulating the interior pultruded portion. The exterior pultruded portion may be formed from a second fiber-reinforced composite including a second plurality of fibers surrounded by a thermoplastic resin material.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed methods for modifying molds of rotor blades of a wind turbine. In certain embodiments, the blade mold is constructed, at least in part, of a thermoplastic material optionally reinforced with a fiber material. In one embodiment, the method includes identifying at least one blade mold addition for the mold of the rotor blade and positioning the blade mold addition at a predetermined location of the mold of the rotor blade. Further, the blade mold addition is constructed, at least in part, of a thermoplastic material. Thus, the method includes applying at least one of heat, pressure, or one or more chemicals at an interface of the blade mold addition and the mold so as to join the blade mold addition to the mold. In further embodiments, the methods described herein are also directed repairing thermoplastic blade molds.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a method for manufacturing a blade component for a rotor blade of a wind turbine. The method includes arranging a fiber material in a mold of the blade component. The method also includes placing at least one pre-cured laminate material atop the fiber material. Another step includes infusing the fiber material and the pre-cured laminate material together via a resin material so as to form the blade component. The method also includes allowing the blade component to cure, the pre-cured laminate material forming at least a portion of an outer surface of the blade component.

Abstract: Rotor blades and methods for joining blade components of rotor blades are provided. A method includes positioning an insert between and in contact with a first blade component and a second blade component. At least one of the first blade component or the second blade component includes a thermoplastic resin. The insert includes a thermoplastic resin and an energy absorptive pigment. The method further includes heating the thermoplastic resin of the at least one of the first blade component or the second blade component and the thermoplastic resin of the insert. The method further includes cooling the thermoplastic resin of the at least one of the first blade component or the second blade component and the thermoplastic resin of the insert. The heating step and the cooling step join the first blade component, the second blade component and the insert together.