Adhesive barrier design to ensure proper paste flow during blade close process
View Patent ↗Devices, systems, and methods of improving paste flow during the manufacture of wind turbine blades are provided. When the first turbine blade half is aligned with the second turbine blade half, a gap is formed between the first shell and the bond cap. The assembly includes a first mold half corresponding to the first turbine blade half and a second mold half corresponding to the second turbine blade half. When the first mold is aligned with the second mold, a second gap is formed. A first barrier is disposed within the first gap and a second barrier disposed within the second gap thereby fluidly sealing a volume defined by the first gap and the second gap to direct adhesive paste flow along the blade span between the adjoining leading and trailing edges.
1. An assembly comprising:
a first turbine blade half comprising a first shell defining a first perimeter and a first interface surface extending along the first perimeter;
a second turbine blade half comprising a second shell defining a second perimeter and a second interface surface extending along the second perimeter, the second blade half comprising a bond cap extending from the perimeter where, when the first interface surface is aligned with the second interface surface, a first gap is formed between the first shell and the bond cap;
a first mold half comprising a first mold surface corresponding to the first shell;
a second mold half comprising a first mold surface corresponding to the second shell where, when the first mold half is aligned with the second mold half, a second gap is formed between the first mold half and the second mold half, wherein the first gap is in fluid communication with the second gap;
a first barrier disposed within the first gap; and
a second barrier disposed within the second gap thereby fluidly sealing a volume defined by the first gap and the second gap, the second barrier including a vent operable to selectively open or close;
wherein the vent is formed by at least a portion of one of the first mold half or the second mold half, and at least a portion of the second barrier;
wherein upon closure of the first mold half and the second mold half, a paste exits the vent.
2. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising the paste is disposed on the first interface surface and/or the second interface surface.
3. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the width of the first gap is between about 2 mm and 15 mm.
4. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the width of the second gap is between about 2 mm and 15 mm.
5. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the vent is one of a plurality of vents on the second barrier.
6. The assembly of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of vents are spaced at a predetermined distance from one another.
7. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of first and second barriers are uniformly spaced along a leading and trailing edge of the first blade half and the second blade half.
8. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first barrier is permanently attached to at least one of the first turbine blade half and the second turbine blade half.
9. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second barrier is removably attached to at least one of the first mold half and the second mold half.
10. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the vent on the second barrier is cylindrically shaped.
11. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the vent on the second barrier is asymmetrically shaped.
12. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the vent on the second barrier includes an inspection window to visually confirm the applied paste is free of voids.