General Electric Company
ROTOR BLADE SEGMENTS SECURED TOGETHER VIA INTERNAL SUPPORT STRUCTURES THAT DEFINE A VARIABLE SIZE GAP THEREBETWEEN

Abstract:

A rotor blade for a wind turbine including a first blade segment and a second blade segment extending in opposite directions from a chord-wise joint. Each of the first and second blade segments include one or more shell members and an internal support structure. The internal support structure of the first blade segment includes a beam structure extending between a receiving end and a second end. The internal support structure of the second blade segment includes a receiving section that receives the receiving end of the beam structure of the first blade segment. The rotor blade further includes one or more connection locations where the first and second blade segments are secured together. Moreover, when the beam structure is received within the receiving section, a gap including a varying thickness is defined and maintained between the beam structure and the receiving section in a span-wise direction of the rotor blade.