Patent ID: 7854594

Claim:
A rotor blade for a wind turbine, comprising: a plurality of individual blade segments, each said blade segment comprising first and second shell components joined at leading and trailing edges of said blade segment; 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, said passage having a keyed cross-sectional profile along the length thereof between said first end and said second end; a rigid spar member extending longitudinally through said internal passages of each of said blade segments such that said plurality of blade segments are aligned and connected end to end on said spar member and define a complete rotor blade from a root that connects to a rotor hub to a blade tip; said spar member further comprising oppositely facing spar caps engaged against inside surfaces of said blade segments within said internal passages; said spar member having a cross-sectional profile corresponding to said keyed cross-sectional profile of said internal passages; and, said internal passages defined by internal webs that extend between said first and second shell components along the length of said internal passage.