Joint sleeve for a rotor blade assembly of a wind turbine

Abstract

A joint sleeve for assembling together a first blade section and a second blade section of a rotor blade assembly is disclosed. The joint sleeve may include an outer surface and an inner surface defining a cavity. The cavity may be configured to receive a joint end of the first blade section and a joint end of the second blade section. The joint sleeve may also include a plurality of openings defined between the outer and inner surfaces. The openings may be configured to receive fasteners for securing the joint ends of the first and second blade sections within the cavity. Additionally, a profile of the outer surface may be configured to generally correspond to an aerodynamic profile of the first and second blade sections such that a substantially continuous aerodynamic profile is defined between the first and second blade sections when the joint ends are inserted within the cavity.

1 . A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine, the rotor blade assembly comprising:
 a first blade section including a joint end and defining an aerodynamic profile;   a second blade section including a joint end and defining an aerodynamic profile;   a joint sleeve having an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining a cavity configured to receive the joint ends of the first and second blade sections; and,   a plurality of fasteners configured to secure the joint ends of the first and second blade sections within the cavity,   wherein a profile of the outer surface of the joint sleeve generally corresponds to the aerodynamic profiles of the first and second blade sections such that a substantially continuous aerodynamic profile is defined between the first and second blade sections when the joint ends are inserted within the cavity.   
     
     
         2 . The rotor blade assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the second blade section is configured as a tip section of the rotor blade assembly. 
     
     
         3 . The rotor blade assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the tip section defines a winglet. 
     
     
         4 . The rotor blade assembly of  claim 1 , wherein a tapered profile is defined at the joint ends of the first and second blade sections, the joint sleeve defining a tapered width generally corresponding to the tapered profile. 
     
     
         5 . The rotor blade assembly of  claim 1 , wherein a stepped profile is defined at the joint ends of the first and second blade sections. 
     
     
         6 . The rotor blade assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fasteners comprises a plurality of threaded fasteners. 
     
     
         7 . The rotor blade assembly of  claim 6 , further comprising a plurality of threaded members disposed at the joint ends of the first and second blade sections, the plurality of threaded members being configured to receive the plurality of threaded fasteners. 
     
     
         8 . The rotor blade assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of openings defined between the inner and outer surfaces of the joint sleeve, each of the plurality of openings defining a recessed feature configured to recess the plurality of fasteners within the joint sleeve. 
     
     
         9 . The rotor blade assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a divider configured to separate the joint ends of the first and second blade sections within the cavity. 
     
     
         10 . A joint sleeve for assembling together a first blade section and a second blade section of a rotor blade assembly, the sleeve comprising:
 an outer surface;   an inner surface defining a cavity, the cavity having a root end configured to receive a joint end of the first blade section and a tip end configured to receive a joint end of the second blade section; and,   a plurality of openings defined between the outer and inner surfaces, the plurality of openings being configured to receive a plurality of fasteners for securing the joint ends of the first and second blade sections within the cavity,   wherein a profile of the outer surface is configured to generally correspond to an aerodynamic profile of the first and second blade sections such that a substantially continuous aerodynamic profile is defined between the first and second blade sections when the joint ends are inserted within the cavity.   
     
     
         11 . The joint sleeve of  claim 10 , wherein a tapered width is defined between the outer and inner surfaces. 
     
     
         12 . The joint sleeve of  claim 10 , wherein each of the plurality of openings defines a recessed feature between the outer and inner surfaces. 
     
     
         13 . The joint sleeve of  claim 10 , further comprising a divider configured to separate the joint ends of the first and second blade sections within the cavity. 
     
     
         14 . The joint sleeve of  claim 10 , wherein the divider extends substantially perpendicularly from the inner surface. 
     
     
         15 . The joint sleeve of  claim 10 , wherein an aerodynamic profile of the root end generally corresponds to the aerodynamic profile of the first blade section and an aerodynamic profile of the tip end generally corresponds to the aerodynamic profile of the second blade section. 
     
     
         16 . A tip assembly for a rotor blade of a wind turbine, the tip assembly comprising:
 a joint sleeve including an inner surface defining a cavity and an outer surface defining an aerodynamic profile, the joint sleeve further including a tip end and a root end,   a tip section extending between a joint end and a blade tip and defining an aerodynamic profile generally corresponding to the aerodynamic profile of the joint sleeve at the tip end, the joint end of the tip section being disposed within the cavity; and,   a plurality of fasteners configured to secure the joint end of the tip section within the cavity,   wherein a portion of the cavity disposed at the root end of the joint sleeve is configured to receive an end of a separate section of the rotor blade.   
     
     
         17 . The tip assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the tip section defines a winglet. 
     
     
         18 . The tip assembly of  claim 16 , wherein a tapered profile is defined at the joint end of the tip section, the joint sleeve defining a tapered width generally corresponding to the tapered profile. 
     
     
         19 . The tip assembly of  claim 16 , further comprising a plurality of openings defined along the tip end of the joint sleeve and configured to receive the plurality of fasteners, each of the plurality of openings defining a recessed feature configured to recess the plurality of fasteners within the joint sleeve. 
     
     
         20 . The tip assembly of  claim 16 , further comprising a plurality of openings defined along the root end of the joint sleeve, the plurality of openings being configured to receive a plurality of fasteners for securing the end of the separate section of the rotor blade within the cavity.