CN-121986216-A - Transport device

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a transport device for transporting wind turbine blades, the transport device 5 being configured to address bending and torsional stresses that may be applied to the blade during transport by allowing the wind turbine blade to rotate about three vertical axes.

Inventors

• D. Rogonadan
• M. Uyunuk
• K. K. Fiennes
• G. K. Stogard

Assignees

• 维斯塔斯风力系统有限公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20241001

Priority Date

20231003

Claims (15)

1. 1. A transport apparatus for transporting wind turbine blades, the transport apparatus comprising: a support frame; A bracket device configured to support a portion of the wind turbine blade on the support frame, and The locking mechanism is provided with a locking mechanism, Wherein the bracket device is rotatably coupled to the support frame by a ball and socket joint mechanism comprising a ball and socket between the bracket device and the support frame and configured to allow the bracket device to rotate about three perpendicular axes relative to the support frame, and wherein the locking mechanism is configured to releasably retain the ball in the socket, wherein the locking mechanism in a locked configuration retains the ball captured in the socket.
2. 2. The transport apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a locking mechanism configured to releasably retain the ball in the socket, wherein the locking mechanism in a locked configuration retains the ball captured in the socket, and the locking mechanism in an unlocked configuration allows removal of the ball from the socket and separation of the bracket device from the support frame.
3. 3. The transport apparatus of claim 1 or 2, further comprising three or more resilient support elements surrounding the ball joint mechanism, the resilient support elements configured to bias the bracket device into an orientation relative to the support frame.
4. 4. A transport apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the bracket means comprises a plate defining a bearing surface configured to slidably engage each resilient support element.
5. 5. The transport apparatus of claim 4, wherein the plate has a central aperture through which the ball joint mechanism extends.
6. 6. A transport apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein each resilient support element comprises a spring.
7. 7. A transport apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the transport apparatus is configured such that the load or substantially all of the load of the bracket device is supported by the ball joint mechanism.
8. 8. A transport apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bracket device has a receiving surface configured to conform to an outer aerodynamic surface of the wind turbine blade.
9. 9. A transport apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the bracket means and the support frame form part of a first transport apparatus part for supporting a tip end of a wind turbine blade, and the transport apparatus further comprises a second transport apparatus part comprising a further support frame and clamping means for supporting a root end of the wind turbine blade.
10. 10. A transport apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the support frame is mounted on a wheeled chassis which is movable over a plurality of wheels.
11. 11. The transport apparatus of claim 10, wherein the wheeled chassis comprises a drive unit configured to drive the plurality of wheels.
12. 12. The transport apparatus of claim 10 or 11, wherein a height of one or more of the plurality of wheels is adjustable.
13. 13. The transport apparatus as recited in any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the support frame is fixed relative to the wheeled chassis to substantially prevent translation of the support frame relative to the wheeled chassis, or wherein the support frame is slidably mounted on the wheeled chassis to allow longitudinal translation of the support frame relative to the wheeled chassis.
14. 14. The transport apparatus as recited in any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the clamping device is configured to rotate about a substantially horizontal axis relative to the support frame of the second transport apparatus section, and wherein rotation between the clamping device and the support frame of the second transport apparatus section is controlled by one or more actuators.
15. 15. Use of a transport apparatus according to any of the preceding claims for transporting out a wind turbine blade from a mould during its manufacture.

Description

Transport device Technical Field The present invention relates to a transport device for transporting wind turbine blades. Background As the global demand for clean energy continues to increase, so does the demand for wind turbines of greater capacity to meet such demand. However, high capacity (> 3 MW) wind turbines require very large rotor diameters to allow the wind turbines to sweep over larger areas and thus generate larger amounts of power. In this way, the spanwise length of the turbine blades constituting the rotor of modern wind turbines is also very large, which makes transportation of modern wind turbine blades a significant challenge. The significant length of a wind turbine blade means that it is impractical to continuously constrain the wind turbine blade along its length, and thus the blade is typically held at discrete points along its length. However, wind turbine blades not only become longer, but are also inherently rigid structures, and this results in any misalignment between these discrete points, potentially resulting in significant bending and torsional loads on the blade. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device for reducing bending and/or torsional stresses exerted on a wind turbine blade during transportation. Disclosure of Invention According to a first aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a transport apparatus for transporting a wind turbine blade, the transport apparatus comprising a support frame, and a bracket device configured to support a portion of the wind turbine blade on the support frame, wherein the bracket device is rotatably coupled to the support frame by a ball and socket joint mechanism comprising a ball and socket between the bracket device and the support frame and configured to allow the bracket device to rotate about three perpendicular axes relative to the support frame. The transport apparatus may further comprise a locking mechanism configured to releasably retain the ball in the socket, wherein the locking mechanism in a locked configuration retains the ball captured in the socket. When the ball is held captive, the locking mechanism is configured to allow the bracket device to rotate, for example, about three perpendicular axes relative to the support frame. Thus, when the locking mechanism is configured to keep the ball captured, the locking mechanism still allows the ball to freely rotate. In some examples, the locking mechanism is further configured such that in an unlocked configuration, the locking mechanism allows the ball to be removed from the socket and allows the bracket device to be separated from the support frame. Thus, the locking mechanism may comprise a locking means, such as a locking lever, configured to keep the ball captured in the socket in the locked configuration, but free to rotate, and/or to be able to remove the ball from the socket in the unlocked configuration and thereby separate the bracket means from the support frame. In some examples, the transport apparatus may further include three or more resilient support elements surrounding the ball joint mechanism, the resilient support elements configured to bias the bracket device into an orientation relative to the support frame. In some examples, the bracket device may include a plate defining a bearing surface configured to slidably engage each of the resilient support elements. In some examples, the plate may have a central aperture through which the ball joint mechanism extends. In some examples, each resilient support element may comprise a spring. In some examples, the transport apparatus may be configured such that the load or substantially all of the load of the bracket device is supported by the ball joint mechanism. In some examples, the bracket device may have a receiving surface configured to conform to an exterior aerodynamic surface of the wind turbine blade. In some examples, the bracket means and the support frame form part of a first transport device part for supporting a part of the wind turbine blade outside the root end of the wind turbine blade, and the transport device further comprises a second transport device part comprising a further support frame and clamping means for supporting the root end of the wind turbine blade. In some examples, the support frame may be mounted on a wheeled chassis that is movable over a plurality of wheels. In some examples, the wheeled chassis may include a drive unit configured to drive the plurality of wheels. In some examples, the height of one or more of the plurality of wheels may be adjustable. In some examples, the support frame may be fixed relative to the wheeled chassis to substantially prevent translation of the support frame relative to the wheeled chassis. In some examples, the support frame may be slidably mounted on the wheeled chassis to allow longitudinal translation of the support frame relative to the wheeled chassis. In some examples, the support frame may includ