Cross-Sectional Deformation of Wind Turbine Rotor Blades

authored by: Julia Gebauer, Claudio Balzani
Abstract: Wind turbines are exposed to a wide range of external conditions and resulting loads. This work investigates the influence of these loads on the deformation of different cross-sections of a rotor blade. A 3D finite element model is created and several simulations with different load distributions are carried out. Following classical beam theories, a cross-section that is planar in the undeformed configuration is assumed to remain planar. Two procedures to find this plane are proposed. The cross-sectional deformations are discussed in the context of magnitude and qualitative distribution of internal loads. Cecchini and Weaver (2005) presented a method for cross-sectional deformations in symmetrical profile sections. The aim of this paper is to calculate the blade cross-sectional deformations for different load scenarios based on 3D finite element analysis (FEA, see Zienkiewicz et al., 2013). A cross-section close to maximum chord length is chosen to investigate the deformation qualitatively and quantitatively for different load scenarios.
Organisation(s): Institute of Wind Energy Systems
Type: Conference contribution
Pages: 309-315
No. of pages: 7
Publication date: 2023
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Energy Engineering and Power Technology, Ocean Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy