US 12,454,939 B2
Segmented rotor blade for a wind turbine and methods for joining the same
Aaron Alpheus Yarbrough, Greenville, SC (US); Christopher Daniel Caruso, Greenville, SC (US); Andrew Mitchell Rodwell, Greenville, SC (US); and Donald Joseph Kasperski, Simpsonville, SC (US)
Assigned to GE Vernova Infrastructure Technology LLC, Greenville, SC (US)
Appl. No. 17/624,994
Filed by General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
PCT Filed Jun. 30, 2020, PCT No. PCT/US2020/040259
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 5, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/007068, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 14, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0282699 A1, Sep. 8, 2022
Int. Cl. F03D 1/06 (2006.01); F03D 13/10 (2016.01)
CPC F03D 1/0675 (2013.01) [F03D 13/10 (2016.05); F05B 2230/60 (2013.01); F05B 2240/302 (2013.01); F05B 2260/301 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A segmented rotor blade for a wind turbine, comprising:
at least a first blade segment and a second blade segment extending in opposite directions from a joint, each of the first and second blade segments comprising at least one shell member defining an airfoil surface; and
a joint assembly coupling the first blade segment to the second blade segment via a dovetail connection at the joint, the joint assembly comprising:
at least one receiving section defining a receiving cavity having a receiving profile,
a joining structure received within the at least one receiving section, the joining structure defining a joining profile corresponding to the receiving profile, the joining profile and the receiving profile forming a dovetail profile, wherein the joining structure and the at least one receiving section form the dovetail connection, wherein the at least one receiving section and the joining structure extend along an arc defined between a leading edge and a trailing edge of the segmented rotor blade, and
a securement assembly securing the joining structure within the at least one receiving section so as to secure the dovetail connection.