Erosion resistant leading edge cap for a wind turbine rotor blade

1. A rotor blade for a wind turbine, the rotor blade comprising:

a blade root;

a blade tip opposite the blade root;

a body shell extending between the blade root and the blade tip, the body shell including a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge, the body shell defining an outer shell surface; and

a leading edge cap coupled to the body shell at the leading edge, the leading edge cap being formed from a fiber-reinforced composite including an inner surface extending directly adjacent to the body shell along a portion of the outer shell surface and an outer surface opposite the inner surface, the fiber-reinforced composite including a plurality of fibers surrounded by a thermoplastic resin material,

wherein the thermoplastic resin material extends throughout the fiber reinforced composite from the inner surface to the outer surface, and

wherein a portion of the outer shell surface of the body shell is recessed such that the body shell defines a recessed area extending across the leading edge between first and second ends, the leading edge cap being received within the recessed area.

2. The rotor blade of claim 1 , wherein the body shell is formed from a pressure side shell and a suction side shell.

3. The rotor blade of claim 2 , wherein a leading edge joint is defined between the pressure and suction side shells at the leading edge, the leading edge cap extending across the leading edge joint so as to be coupled to both an outer shell surface of the pressure side shell and an outer shell surface of the suction side shell.

4. The rotor blade of claim 3 , wherein the pressure and suction side shells are both formed from fiber-reinforced composites including a plurality of fibers surrounded by a shell thermoplastic resin material, wherein the thermoplastic resin material of the leading edge cap is welded to the shell thermoplastic resin material of the pressure and suction side shells at an interface defined between the inner surface of the leading edge cap and the outer shell surfaces of the pressure and suction side shells.

5. The rotor blade of claim 4 , wherein the shell thermoplastic resin material of the pressure side shell is welded to the shell thermoplastic resin material of the suction side shell at the leading edge joint.

6. The rotor blade of claim 1 , wherein the rotor blade corresponds to a modular rotor blade and the body shell is at least partially formed from at least one of a blade root segment, a blade tip segment; a leading edge segment, a trailing edge segment; a pressure segment or a suction side segment.

7. The rotor blade of claim 6 , wherein the leading edge cap is coupled to a portion of the body shell formed from at least one of the blade tip segment, the leading edge segment or the pressure and suction side segments.

8. The rotor blade of claim 1 , wherein the body shell includes a thermoplastic layer positioned at the leading edge, wherein the thermoplastic resin material of the leading edge cap is welded to the thermoplastic layers of the body shell at an interface defined between the inner surface of the leading edge cap and the outer shell surface of the body shell.

9. The rotor blade of claim 1 , wherein the fiber-reinforced composite of the leading edge cap further includes an erosion resistant additive dispersed within the thermoplastic resin material.

10. A rotor blade for a wind turbine, the rotor blade comprising:

a blade root;

a blade tip opposite the blade root;

a body shell extending between the blade root and the blade tip, the body shell including a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge, the body shell defining an outer shell surface and being formed from a fiber-reinforced composite including a plurality of fibers surrounded by a shell thermoplastic resin material; and

a leading edge cap coupled to the body shell at the leading edge, the leading edge cap being formed from a fiber-reinforced composite including an inner surface extending directly adjacent to the body shell along a portion of the outer shell surface and an outer surface opposite the inner surface, the fiber-reinforced composite including a plurality of fibers surrounded by a thermoplastic resin material,

wherein the thermoplastic resin material of the leading edge cap is welded to the shell thermoplastic resin material of the body shell at an interface defined between the inner surface of the leading edge cap and the outer shell surface of the body shell, and

wherein a portion of the outer shell surface of the body shell is recessed such that the body shell defines a recessed area extending across the leading edge between first and second ends, the leading edge cap being received within the recessed area.

11. The rotor blade of claim 10 , wherein the body shell includes a pressure side shell and a suction side shell formed from the fiber-reinforced composite.

12. The rotor blade of claim 11 , wherein a leading edge joint is defined between the pressure and suction side shells at the leading edge, the leading edge cap extending across the leading edge joint so as to be coupled to both an outer shell surface of the pressure side shell and an outer shell surface of the suction side shell at the interface.

13. The rotor blade of claim 10 , wherein the rotor blade corresponds to a modular rotor blade and the body shell is at least partially formed from at least one of a blade root segment, a blade tip segment, a leading edge segment, a trailing edge segment, a pressure segment or a suction side segment.

14. The rotor blade of claim 13 , wherein the leading edge cap is coupled to a portion of the body shell formed from at least one of the blade tip segment, the leading edge segment or the pressure and suction side segments.

15. The rotor blade of claim 10 , wherein the leading edge cap is received within the recessed area such that the exterior surface of the leading edge cap is substantially aligned with the outer shell surface of the body shell at the first and second ends of the recessed area.

16. The rotor blade of claim 10 , wherein the fiber-reinforced composite of the leading edge cap further includes an erosion resistant additive dispersed within the thermoplastic resin material.

17. The rotor blade of claim 10 , wherein the thermoplastic resin material extends throughout the fiber reinforced composite of the leading edge cap from the inner surface to the outer surface.

18. A method for assembling a rotor blade of a wind turbine, the rotor blade including a body shell having a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge, the method comprising:

positioning a leading edge cap adjacent to an outer shell surface of the body shell at the leading edge of the rotor blade, the body shell being formed at least partially from a shell thermoplastic resin material, the leading edge cap being formed from a fiber-reinforced composite including an inner surface extending directly adjacent to the outer shell surface and an outer surface opposite the inner surface, the fiber-reinforced composite including a plurality of fibers surrounded by a thermoplastic resin material; and

welding the thermoplastic resin material of the leading edge cap to the shell thermoplastic resin material of the body shell at an interface defined between the inner surface of the leading edge cap and the outer shell surface of the body shell,

wherein a portion of the outer shell surface of the body shell is recessed such that the body shell defines a recessed area extending across the leading edge between first and second ends, the leading edge cap being received within the recessed area.