US 7,351,040 B2
Methods of making wind turbine rotor blades
Jamie T. Livingston, Pensacola, Fla. (US); Arthur H. E. Burke, Gulf Breeze, Fla. (US); Jan Willem Bakhuis, Nijverdal (Netherlands); Sjef Van Breugel, Enschede (Netherlands); and Andrew Billen, Daarlerveen (Netherlands)
Assigned to General Electric Company, Schenectady, N.Y. (US)
Filed on Jan. 09, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/328,625.
Prior Publication US 2007/0160479 A1, Jul. 12, 2007
Int. Cl. F04D 29/38 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 416—230  [416/248] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
13. A wind turbine blade comprising a root portion, a main portion and a tip portion wherein said main portion is located between said root portion and said tip portion, said root portion comprising:
an outer layer of reinforcing fibers comprising at least two woven mats of reinforcing fibers;
an inner layer of reinforcing fibers having an inner surface and an outer surface and comprising at least two woven mats of reinforcing fibers;
at least two bands of reinforcing fibers positioned between said inner layer and said outer layer, each said band of reinforcing fibers comprising at least two woven mats of reinforcing fibers;
a mat of randomly arranged reinforcing fibers positioned between each pair of adjacent bands of reinforcing fibers; and
a polymeric resin infused through said outer layer, said inner layer, each said band of reinforcing fibers, and each said mat of random reinforcing fibers.