US 11,738,530 B2
Methods for manufacturing wind turbine rotor blade components
Bensely Albert, Greenville, SC (US); Nicholas K. Althoff, La Crosse, WI (US); and Stephen Bertram Johnson, New Castle, NH (US)
Assigned to General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
Filed by General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
Filed on Mar. 22, 2018, as Appl. No. 15/928,254.
Prior Publication US 2019/0291372 A1, Sep. 26, 2019
Int. Cl. B29D 99/00 (2010.01); B29C 51/08 (2006.01); B29C 51/42 (2006.01); B29C 51/44 (2006.01); B29C 65/78 (2006.01); B29C 70/48 (2006.01); B29C 65/08 (2006.01); B29C 65/00 (2006.01); B29C 51/12 (2006.01); F03D 1/06 (2006.01); B29C 70/50 (2006.01); B29K 105/00 (2006.01); B29K 101/10 (2006.01); B29K 101/12 (2006.01); B29L 31/08 (2006.01)
CPC B29D 99/0025 (2013.01) [B29C 51/08 (2013.01); B29C 51/12 (2013.01); B29C 51/421 (2013.01); B29C 51/44 (2013.01); B29C 65/08 (2013.01); B29C 65/7841 (2013.01); B29C 66/472 (2013.01); B29C 66/721 (2013.01); B29C 66/723 (2013.01); B29C 70/48 (2013.01); B29C 70/504 (2013.01); F03D 1/0675 (2013.01); B29K 2101/10 (2013.01); B29K 2101/12 (2013.01); B29K 2105/256 (2013.01); B29L 2031/085 (2013.01); F05B 2230/40 (2013.01); F05B 2230/50 (2013.01); F05B 2240/30 (2013.01); F05B 2280/6003 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for manufacturing a rotor blade component of a rotor blade, the method comprising:
feeding a flat sheet of material into a thermoforming system, wherein the material comprises at least one of a thermoplastic material or a thermoset material, the thermoforming system comprising a housing having an inlet and an outlet, one or more heating elements within the housing, an adjustable frame secured within the housing, at least one roller rotatably mounted to the adjustable frame within the housing, the adjustable frame being movable so as to adjust a position of the at least one roller in a horizontal direction, a vertical direction, and an annular direction, and a curved support structure for supporting the flat sheet of material as the flat sheet of material is heated via the least one heating element, the curved support structure and the least one roller configured to shape the flat sheet of material into a curved shape;
heating the flat sheet of material via the one or more heating elements of the thermoforming system as the flat sheet of material passes through the housing;
shaping the heated flat sheet of material into the curved shape via the curved support structure and the at least one roller by adjusting the position of the at least one roller in the horizontal direction, the vertical direction, and the annular direction and by pivoting the at least one roller via the adjustable frame by moving the adjustable frame up and down, side-to-side, and about at least one pivot point to cause the at least one roller to contact and form the heated flat sheet of material into the curved shape;
dispensing the shaped sheet of material from the thermoforming system via the outlet; cooling the shaped sheet of material to at least partially form the rotor blade component; and
dispensing a plurality of pultruded members directly from at least one movable pultruded member dispensing assembly into the shaped sheet of material.