Articles | Volume 5, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-1339-2020
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the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-1339-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
20 Oct 2020
Research article |
| 20 Oct 2020
| 20 Oct 2020
Finite element simulations for investigating the strength characteristics of a 5 m composite wind turbine blade
Can Muyan
Department of Aerospace Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, 06800, Turkey
Structures and Materials Laboratories, RÜZGEM (METUWIND) Center for
Wind Energy Research, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, 06800,
Turkey
Department of Aerospace Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, 06800, Turkey
Structures and Materials Laboratories, RÜZGEM (METUWIND) Center for
Wind Energy Research, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, 06800,
Turkey
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Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 2351–2371, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2351-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2351-2022, 2022
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Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 105–127, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-105-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-105-2022, 2022
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One particular problem with structures operating in seas is the so-called fatigue phenomenon. Cyclic loads imposed by waves and winds can cause structural failure after a number of cycles. Traditional methods have some limitations.
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James Stirling, Edward Hart, and Abbas Kazemi Amiri
Wind Energ. Sci., 6, 15–31, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-6-15-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-6-15-2021, 2021
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This paper considers the modelling of wind turbine main bearings using analytical models. The validity of simplified analytical representations is explored by comparing main-bearing force reactions with those obtained from higher-fidelity 3D finite-element models. Results indicate that good agreement can be achieved between the analytical and 3D models in the case of both non-moment-reacting (such as for a spherical roller bearing) and moment-reacting (such as a tapered roller bearing) set-ups.
William Finnegan, Priya Dasan Keeryadath, Rónán Ó Coistealbha, Tomas Flanagan, Michael Flanagan, and Jamie Goggins
Wind Energ. Sci., 5, 1567–1577, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-1567-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-1567-2020, 2020
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Sven Störtenbecker, Peter Dalhoff, Mukunda Tamang, and Rudolf Anselm
Wind Energ. Sci., 5, 1121–1128, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-1121-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-1121-2020, 2020
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Giovanni Migliaccio, Giuseppe Ruta, Stefano Bennati, and Riccardo Barsotti
Wind Energ. Sci., 5, 685–698, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-685-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-685-2020, 2020
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David Melcher, Moritz Bätge, and Sebastian Neßlinger
Wind Energ. Sci., 5, 675–684, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-675-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-675-2020, 2020
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Wind Energ. Sci., 5, 503–517, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-503-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-503-2020, 2020
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Dominik Traphan, Iván Herráez, Peter Meinlschmidt, Friedrich Schlüter, Joachim Peinke, and Gerd Gülker
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Wind turbines are exposed to harsh weather, leading to surface defects on rotor blades emerging from the first day of operation. Defects
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of the rotor blades downstream of surface defects.
Jake D. Nunemaker, Michael M. Voth, David A. Miller, Daniel D. Samborsky, Paul Murdy, and Douglas S. Cairns
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Matthias Stammler, Fabian Schwack, Norbert Bader, Andreas Reuter, and Gerhard Poll
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Modern wind turbines all share the ability to turn (pitch) the blades around their main axis. By pitching the blades, the aerodynamic forces created by the blades are controlled. Rolling bearings, consisting of two steel rings and balls that roll on raceways between them, are used to allow pitching. To design pitch drives, it is necessary to know the losses within the bearings. This article describes how such losses have been measured and compares them with calculation models.
Jared W. Nelson, Trey W. Riddle, and Douglas S. Cairns
Wind Energ. Sci., 2, 641–652, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2-641-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2-641-2017, 2017
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Given the rapid growth and large scale of wind turbines, it is important that wind farms achieve maximum availability by reducing downtime due to maintenance and failures. The Blade Reliability Collaborative, led by Sandia National Laboratories and sponsored by the US DOE, was formed to address this issue. A comprehensive study to characterize and understand the manufacturing flaws common in blades, and their impact on blade life, was performed by measuring and testing commonly included defects.
Jared W. Nelson, Trey W. Riddle, and Douglas S. Cairns
Wind Energ. Sci., 2, 653–669, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2-653-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2-653-2017, 2017
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The Blade Reliability Collaborative was formed to address wind turbine blade reliability. To better understand and predict these effects, various progressive damage modeling approaches, built upon the characterization previously addressed, were investigated. The results indicate that a combined continuum–discrete approach provides insight into reliability with known defects when used in conjunction with a probabilistic flaw framework.
Morten Hartvig Hansen
Wind Energ. Sci., 1, 271–296, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-1-271-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-1-271-2016, 2016
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The modal dynamics of wind turbines are the fingerprints of their responses under the stochastic excitation from the wind field. Commercial wind turbines have typically three-bladed rotors, and their modal dynamics are well understood. Two-bladed turbines are still commercially less successful, and this work also shows that their modal dynamics are significantly more complex than that of turbines with three or more blades.
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Short summary
Wind turbine blade prototypes undergo structural tests before they are used in the field so that any design failure can be detected prior to their operation. In this study, strength characteristics of a small-scale existing 5 m composite wind turbine blade is carried out utilizing the finite-element-method software package Ansys. The results show that the blade exhibits sufficient resistance against buckling. Yet, laminate failure is found to play a major role in the ultimate blade failure.
Wind turbine blade prototypes undergo structural tests before they are used in the field so that...
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