Integrated shipping fixture and assembly method for jointed wind turbine blades

• Main Authors: KOOTSTRA DIRK JAN, LIVINGSTON JAMIE
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 14.08.2012
• Subjects: ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; AEROPLANES; AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; BLASTING; BODY DETAILS OR KINDS OF RAILWAY VEHICLES; CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS,e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES,DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; CONVEYING; COSMONAUTICS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; HEATING; HELICOPTERS; INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO MACHINES OR ENGINES OTHER THANNON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, TO WIND MOTORS,TO NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT PUMPS, AND TO GENERATING COMBUSTIONPRODUCTS OF HIGH PRESSURE OR HIGH VELOCITY; INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUSSUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04; LIGHTING; MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PACKAGES; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER; RAILWAYS; REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGYGENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION; STORING; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; TRANSPORTING; WEAPONS; WIND MOTORS; WIND, SPRING WEIGHT AND MISCELLANEOUS MOTORS

An integrated shipping and alignment fixture for shipping and aligning a jointed multi-section wind turbine blade is provided. The fixture includes a first shipping fixture supporting a first end of a section of the multi-section wind turbine blade; a second shipping fixture supporting a second end of a section of the multi-section wind turbine blade; supports on the first shipping fixture and the second shipping fixture for retaining one end of the section of the wind turbine blade; an aligning device for aligning a detached section of the multi-section wind turbine blade with a retained section of the wind turbine blade; and a clamping device for clamping a detached section with a retained section.