Patent ID: 9709029
Date: 2017-07-18
CPC Classifications: F03D,F05B,Y02E,Y10T

Claim:
1. A rotor blade for a wind turbine, said blade comprising: a plurality of blade segments for use as part of a rotor; each of said plurality of blade segments comprising an internal passage extending longitudinally from a first end to a second end of each of said blade segments; a plurality of spar members extending longitudinally through said internal passages of each of said blade segments such that said plurality of said spar members are aligned and in communication end-to-end through said internal passages and said plurality of blade segments are aligned and in communication with said aligned spar members and define a complete rotor blade from a root that connects to a rotor hub to a blade tip of said rotor blade; a tension member extending longitudinally through said aligned spar members, said tension member configured to exert a force longitudinally toward said rotor hub to establish a first pitch configuration of said plurality of blade segments in the absence of centrifugally-induced rotation of said blade segments about an axis of said longitudinally-extending plurality of spar members; wherein said aligned spar members are configured to rotate relative to one another about said axis in response to centrifugal forces exerted on said blade segments and said aligned spar members due to a prevailing wind, and in response, said blade segments are configured to rotate relative to one another to establish a second pitch configuration.