Foldable blades for wind turbines

摘要

A turbine blade assembly includes an outboard blade section that folds onto an inboard blade section at a hinge located between the sections. When the outboard blade section is rotating to a folded position a longitudinal axis of the outboard blade section is transverse to a longitudinal axis of the inboard blade section. When the outboard blade section is in a fully folded position, the axes are parallel. The method of folding the outboard blade section includes adjusting the pitch of the turbine blade while it is rotating. Adjusting the pitch changes the pressure on a non-hinge side of the turbine blade and results in the outboard blade section folding with respect to the inboard blade section.