METHOD OF JOINING ROTOR BLADE COMPONENTS USING THERMOPLASTIC WELDING

• Main Authors: TOBIN, James, Robert, CARUSO, Christopher, Daniel, YARBROUGH, Aaron, A, HYNUM, Daniel, Alan
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 12.04.2023
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; BLASTING; HEATING; INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULARARTICLES; INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS; LIGHTING; MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TRANSPORTING; WEAPONS; WIND MOTORS; WIND, SPRING WEIGHT AND MISCELLANEOUS MOTORS; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

The present disclosure is directed to methods for joining rotor blade components using thermoplastic welding. The method includes arranging a first thermoplastic component and a second thermoplastic component together at an interface, determining a size of a tolerance gap between the first and second components at the interface, placing a thermoplastic insert between the first and second components at the interface, the insert being larger than the tolerance gap, heating the insert and the first and second components such that the insert begins to flow so as to fill the tolerance gap between the first and second components, applying pressure to the interface such that the insert and the first and second blade components remain substantially in direct contact with each other at the interface, and welding the insert and the first and second components together at the interface, wherein the heat and the applied pressure between the insert and the first and second components at the interface maintain the insert and the first and second substantially in direct contact at the interface during welding.