System and Method for Three Dimensional Positioning a Wind Turbine Blade and a Plurality of Saw Blades with Respect to each other for Making a Plurality of Cuts in a Wind Turbine Blades for Recycling

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method for cutting and manipulating the used wind turbine blades for disposal. The system includes but is not limited to a primary drive, a secondary drive, a protective hood and flipper arm for manipulating the blade during cutting.

1 . A system, the system comprising:
 an excavator having a boom attached to a rotatable carriage and an excavator arm pivotably attached to a distal end of the boom;   a housing, pivotably attached to a distal end of the excavator arm;   a primary drive pulley attached to a motor mounted inside of the housing;   a secondary drive pulley attached to a saw blade mounted inside of the housing;   a saw blade attached to a secondary drive pulley hub;   a wind turbine blade supported by a sawhorse trough edge for cutting a transverse cut across a width of a top side of a wind turbine blade; and   a drive belt running between the primary drive pulley and the secondary drive pulley, wherein rotation of the motor causes secondary pulley and the saw blade to rotate for cutting through the top side of the wind turbine blade and wherein, when the saw blade is pinched during cutting of the top side of the wind turbine blade, saw blade torque caused by a resistance to the rotation of the saw blade caused by the pinched cutting, is substantially relieved by the drive belt slipping on the secondary pulley and the torque caused by the saw blade being pinched is substantially reduced by a slippage on the secondary pulley and substantially not transferred to the primary drive pulley attached to the motor.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the sawhorse edge provides a fulcrum under the wind turbine blade that creates a bending moment on the wind turbine blade that stretches the top side of the wind turbine blade, making the top side of the turbine blade easier to cut through, wherein the wind turbine blade is placed on the trough edge of wherein a first end of the wind turbine blade is heavier than a second end of the wind turbine blade, wherein the first end of the wind turbine blade remains supported by a surface and a second end is unsupported by the surface, creating a bending moment stretching an outer skin on the top side of the wind turbine blade. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the top side of the wind turbine blade further comprises an upper shell comprising a balsa wood layer underneath a top outer skin and a hollow volume of air between the upper shell of the wind turbine blade and a upper balsa wood layer inside a lower side shell of the wind turbine blade comprising a lower balsa wood layer underneath a lower outer skin. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , the system further comprising:
 a flipper arm attached at a 45 degree angle to the housing, wherein the flipper arm is attached to a top of the housing; and   a bottom of the housing from which the saw blade protrudes for cutting and wherein the excavator arm manipulates the flipper arm and flips the wind turbine blade over in the sawhorse trough after a first cut to position the wind turbine blade for a second cut.   
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the flipper arm further comprises a plate attached on the distal end of the flipper arm, wherein a front edge of the plate attached on the distal end of the flipper arm and a forward edge of the housing each touch a surface keeping the saw blade off the surface when the system is stored. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , the system further comprising:
 a plurality of water sprayer jets attached to the housing, wherein the plurality of water sprayer jets attached to the housing, stream water onto the saw blade during transvers cutting.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , the system further comprising:
 a sawhorse trough for holding a wing for sawing by the saw blade, wherein the trough catches a mixture of debris and water draining from the saw blade during cutting under the water streamed by the plurality of water sprayer jets.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the sawhorse trough further comprises a first pair of posts protruding vertically upward from a first end of the trough and a second pair of posts protruding vertically from a second end of the trough, wherein the sawhorse trough further comprises a first plate between the first pair of vertical posts, wherein the plate is a same height as the first pair of posts and forms an opening between the posts at the top of the posts to facilitates an excavator operator's visibility and saw access during sawing of the wind turbine blades on the sawhorse trough. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the sawhorse trough further comprises a second pair of vertical legs having a plate between the second pair of vertical legs, wherein the second plate is substantially a same height as the second pair of vertical legs and provides a safety barrier between the saw blade and an operator when a saw blade breaks into pieces. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9  wherein a height of the first pair of vertical posts is 18 inches and a height of the second pair of posts is 18 inches. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9  further comprising:
 a rack comprising a first pair of vertical arms having an angular top surface to guide wind turbine pieces onto the rack. 
 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , the system further comprising:
 an plurality of right angle sections, each of the plurality of right angle sections mounted on the top of each vertical arm, wherein each of the right angle sections extends out from a central longitudinal axis of the rack, wherein the right angle sections widen a width of the rack so that a larger diameter wind turbine section that is wider than the rack, fits loaded on the right angle sections.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the saw blade has a 14 inch diameter and is mounted on an 8 inch saw hub, having a 3 inch cutting radius, wherein the wind turbine blade has a thickness of 44 inches and an outer shell thickness of 2 inches, wherein the saw blade and housing are manipulated by the excavator arm to remain perpendicular to a tangential line through the surface of the turbine blade cutting through the outer shell. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the sawhorse trough further comprises a filter that filters debris from a mixture of water and debris, wherein the debris is recycled. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the saw blade protrudes a distance from the housing that is greater than a thickness of the outer shell and less than the thickness of the wind turbine blade, wherein a bottom edge of the housing is positioned parallel to a tangential line through the shell at a center point of the saw blade and a center point of a circle formed by a radius of curvature of a surface of the outer shell. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the saw blade protrudes 5 inches from the housing, the thickness of the outer shell is 2 inches and the thickness of the wind turbine blade is approximately 14 inches. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein a radius of curvature for the surface of the wind turbine blade varies along a path of the saw blade along the transverse cut, wherein the saw blade and housing are manipulated to enable a substantial portion of the saw blade extending from a saw blade hub is available for cutting at each point along the path of the saw blade performing the transverse cut through the surface of the wind turbine blade, having a different radius of curvature on the surface of the wind turbine blade at a first cut one versus a second two, wherein an operator in the excavator manipulates a straight rectilinear bottom side edge of the saw blade housing so that the bottom edge remains substantially parallel to a tangential line drawn through a point at the center of the saw cut on the surface of the wind turbine blade, the surface at the center point of the cut having a radius of curvature for the surface of the wind turbine blade being sawed and further positions the housing so that a line perpendicular to the tangential line passes through the center of a circle formed by the radius of curvature for the surface of the wind turbine blade being sawed and a center of a circle forming the saw blade, so that as the radius of curvature of the surface of the wind turbine blade changes along the path of the saw cut along the surface of the wind turbine blade during a saw cut, the operator manipulates the housing to change an angle of the housing bottom so that the housing bottom remains substantially parallel to a tangential line passing through the surface of the wind turbine blade and a circle formed by the radius of curvature for the wind turbine blade at the center point of the cut, enabling a substantially full depth of the saw blade protruding from the saw blade hub to be available for cutting the wind turbine blade without interference from the housing bottom edge touching or scraping across the surface of the wind turbine blade preventing the saw blade from descending downward to its substantially full depth, thus and keeping a substantially full depth of the radius of the saw blade from cutting through the surface of the wind turbine blade. 
     
     
         18 . A method for cutting a wind turbine blade, the method comprising:
 manipulating an excavator having a boom attached to a rotatable carriage and an excavator arm pivotably attached to a distal end of the boom and a housing pivotably attached to a distal end of the excavator arm;   rotating a saw blade attached to the distal end of the excavator arm;   placing a laminated wind turbine blade on a sawhorse trough edge for cutting a transverse cut across a width of a top side of the turbine blade, wherein the sawhorse edge provides a fulcrum stretching a top side outer skin of the turbine blade, making the outer skin easier to cut, wherein a first end of the wind turbine blade is supported on a surface and a second end is not supported by the surface, thereby creating a bending moment, stretching the top side of the turbine blade, wherein the top side of the wind turbine blade further comprises a shell comprising a balsa wood layer underneath a top outer skin and a hollow volume of air between the balsa wood layer inside the top side of the wind turbine blade and a lower side of the wind turbine blade comprising a balsa wood layer inside a skin; and   cutting a transverse cut along a transverse path through the top side of the turbine blade.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein a radius of curvature for a radius of curvature to the top side of the wind turbine blade varies along a path of the saw blade along the transverse cut through the top side of the wind turbine blade, the method further comprising wherein the saw blade and housing are manipulating the saw blade and housing to enable a substantial portion of the saw blade extending from a saw blade hub is available for cutting at each point along the path of the saw blade performing the transverse cut through the surface of the wind turbine blade, having a different radius of curvature on the surface of the wind turbine blade along a path of the saw blade cutting through the top side of the wind turbine blade. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , the method further comprising manipulating a straight rectilinear bottom side edge of the saw blade housing so that the bottom edge remains substantially parallel to a tangential line drawn through a point on the top side of the wind turbine blade at a center point of the saw cut on the top side of the wind turbine blade, the surface at the center point of the saw cut having a radius of curvature for the top side of the wind turbine blade being sawed and further positions the housing so that a line perpendicular to the tangential line passes through the center of a circle formed by the radius of curvature for the top side of the wind turbine blade being sawed and a center of a circle forming the saw blade, so that as the radius of curvature of the top side of the wind turbine blade changes along the path of the saw cut along the top side of the wind turbine blade during a saw cut, an operator manipulates the housing to change an angle of the housing bottom so that the housing bottom remains substantially parallel to a tangential line passing through the surface of the wind turbine blade and a circle formed by the radius of curvature for the wind turbine blade at the center point of the cut, enabling a substantially full depth of the saw blade protruding from the saw blade hub to be available for cutting the wind turbine blade without interference from the housing bottom edge touching or scraping across the surface of the wind turbine blade preventing the saw blade from descending downward to its substantially full depth, thus and keeping a substantially full depth of the radius of the saw blade from cutting through the surface of the wind turbine blade.