Wind power is considered one of the cleanest, most environmentally friendly energy sources presently available, and wind turbines have gained increased attention in this regard. A modern wind turbine typically includes a tower, a generator, a gearbox, a nacelle, and one or more rotor blades. The rotor blades capture kinetic energy of wind using known foil principles. The rotor blades transmit the kinetic energy in the form of rotational energy so as to turn a shaft coupling the rotor blades to a gearbox, or if a gearbox is not used, directly to the generator. The generator then converts the mechanical energy to electrical energy that may be deployed to a utility grid.
To ensure that wind power remains a viable energy source, efforts have been made to improve the overall performance of wind turbines by modifying the size, shape and configuration of wind turbine rotor blades. One such modification has been to increase the length of the rotor blade so as to increase the energy captured by the wind. Longer rotor blade, however, are associated with increased transportation costs due to transportation regulations and shipping limits.
Another such modification has been to alter the configuration of the tip of the rotor blade. In particular, blade tips may be specifically designed to enhance or improve various aspects of a rotor blade's performance. For example, certain blade tips may be designed to operate efficiently in specific wind classes. Additionally, blade tips may be configured to enhance specific operating conditions of the wind turbine, such as by being configured to lower torque, reduce noise, or capture the maximum possible energy.
Given that different operating advantages may be provided to a wind turbine depending on the configuration of the rotor blade (i.e. by increasing its length or modifying the blade tip), it would be advantageous to have a joint design for securing blade segments together that allowed for quick and efficient assembly and disassembly thereof.
However, known joint designs are typically complex, expensive to produce, and are manually intensive to install and maintain. For example, joint designs that utilize an adhesive provide permanent joints that cannot be modified with changing wind conditions. In addition, joint designs that utilize bolts typically require periodic maintenance to ensure that the bolts maintain a required torque.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved joint assembly for securing multiple blade segments of a rotor blade that addresses the aforementioned issues.