WESD Wind Energy Science Discussions WESD Wind Energ. Sci. Discuss. Göttingen, Germany 10.5194/wes-2026-167 Design of a scaled wind turbine model for matching multiple structural load transients under blade-detachment conditions Liu Hongwen 1 2 Song Qingfu 3 Guo Feng https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3275-6243 3 4 Yang Lin https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3586-797X 2 Xu Wenhao 3 4 Zhang Lijun 3 4 Gao Zhen https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3976-2558 3 4 School of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, Central South University, No.932 South Lushan Road, Changsha, China CRRC Zhuzhou Institute Co., Ltd., No. 169 Shidai Road, Zhuzhou, China State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, China School of Ocean and Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, China 12 10 2026 2026 1 31 Copyright: © 2026 Hongwen Liu et al. 2026 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This article is available from https://wes.copernicus.org/preprints/wes-2026-167/ The full text article is available as a PDF file from https://wes.copernicus.org/preprints/wes-2026-167/wes-2026-167.pdf

Complete blade detachment simultaneously changes a wind turbine's aerodynamic, centrifugal, and gravitational loading, requiring these load changes to be matched consistently in model-scale experiments. This study develops a scaled wind turbine design method that establishes common force and moment scales to define coupled targets for rotor speed, blade mass, spanwise mass distribution, and axial aerodynamic loading. The method is demonstrated using a 1:100 model of a 10 MW prototype onshore turbine. The blade geometry is redesigned for low-Reynolds-number operation, and a modular construction combining a CNC-machined carbon-fibre spar with segmented PMI foam permits separate adjustment of the aerodynamic profile and material distribution. Centrifugal- and aerodynamic-load experiments show overall agreement between numerical predictions and measurements under the tested conditions. The resulting model provides an experimental basis for controlled blade-detachment testing and subsequent validation of numerical models of post-failure load redistribution.