IP Library Granted Patent US 8,376,713
Granted Patent B2
US 8,376,713 · App. 13/208,558 · Granted Feb 19, 2013

Wind turbine rotor blade

Inventors: Nozomu Kawasetsu (Tokyo, JP); Kentaro Shindo (Tokyo, JP); Takao Kuroiwa (Tokyo, JP); Shinichi Hori (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,376,713
App. No.
13/208,558
Granted
Feb 19, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided is a wind turbine rotor blade that can secure a sufficient strength in a coupling portion without significant increase in weight even though a blade is increased in size because beams, which are main strength members of the separated blades, are coupled to each other by metallic coupling members. A wind turbine rotor blade including: a skin that forms a long hollow shape; and a beam that is vertically passed in a longitudinal direction to reinforce the skin from inside, wherein the beam is separated into at least two portions in the longitudinal direction, and ends of the adjacent beams are coupled to each other through a metallic coupling member having: a first flange portion opposed to the one end; a second flange portion opposed to the other end; and a connecting portion that connects these first flange portion and second flange portion, and the skin is separated into a coupling portion skin arranged at a position corresponding to the coupling member, and a main body skin arranged at a position corresponding to the beam.

Claims (13)

1. A wind turbine rotor blade comprising:

a skin that forms a long hollow shape; and a beam that is vertically passed in a longitudinal direction to reinforce the skin from inside, the wind turbine rotor blade being also radially attached around a rotational axis line of a rotor hub, wherein

the beam is separated into at least two portions in the longitudinal direction,

ends of the adjacent beams are coupled to each other through a metallic coupling member having: a first flange portion opposed to one end; a second flange portion opposed to another end; and a connecting portion that connects the first flange portion and second flange portion, and

the skin is separated into a coupling portion skin arranged at a position corresponding to the coupling member, and a main body skin arranged at a position corresponding to the beam.

2. The wind turbine rotor blade according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling member is coupled to the corresponding end of the beam through a plurality of bolts fixed to the ends of the beams, and nuts screwed to these bolts.

3. The wind turbine rotor blade according to claim 1 , wherein end surface shapes of the first flange portion and the second flange portion are the same as opposed end surface shapes of the beams, respectively.

4. The wind turbine rotor blade according to claim 1 , wherein more than half of cross-sectional shapes of the separated beams in the longitudinal direction are the same as or similar to each other.

5. The wind turbine rotor blade according to claim 2 , wherein one end of the bolt is coupled through the nut or an insert member embedded in the end of the beam.

6. The wind turbine rotor blade according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling portion skin is fixed to back surfaces and front surfaces of the first flange portion and the second flange portion through a fastening member.

7. The wind turbine rotor blade according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling portion skin is fixed to the back surfaces and the front surfaces of the first flange portion and the second flange portion, and to a back surface and a front surface of the beam through a fastening member.

8. The wind turbine rotor blade according to claim 1 , wherein a metallic lightning receiving piece arranged at a back surface and/or a front surface of the skin and the coupling member are connected to each other by a conductive cable, and the coupling member and the coupling member are connected to each other by a first down conductor, and also the coupling member and the rotor hub are connected to each other by a second down conductor.

9. A wind turbine for wind power generation comprising the wind turbine rotor blade according to claim 1 .

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 21, 2011
From: KAWASETSU, NOZOMU; SHINDO, KENTARO; KUROIWA, TAKAO; HORI, SHINICHI
To: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD
Reel/Frame 027101/0001 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2010-237346 · Oct 22, 2010 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2011064970 · Jun 29, 2011
Related Publication 20120100002A1 · Apr 26, 2012