Wind turbine rotor blades with shape memory polymer composites and methods for deploying the same

• Main Authors: FLORES CARLOS ALBERTO CONCHA, JIMENEZ CARLOS RAFAEL RAMIREZ
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 06.08.2013
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; BLASTING; CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION ORPROCESSING OF GOODS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HEATING; INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULARARTICLES; 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; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER; REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGYGENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; 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; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

Methods for deploying a section of a wind turbine rotor blade include compressing a section of skin from an airfoil profile to a retracted profile, wherein the section of skin includes a shape memory polymer composite, and heating the section of skin to at least a transition temperature of the shape memory polymer composite so that the section of skin transitions from the retracted profile back to the airfoil profile.