Passive Control of a Wind Turbine Blade Using Composite Materials
Author | : Saad Bin Aziz |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 224 |
Release | : 2011 |
ISBN-10 | : OCLC:890481794 |
ISBN-13 | : |
Rating | : 4/5 (94 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: The weight and the cost of the wind turbine are the two important considerations that make wind energy competitive with other energy source. The weight of the rotor is typically 40-80% of the total weight of the system. Thus, reducing cost by reducing the weight of the blade is an important consideration. Another important factor is the operational life of the machine, which is roughly 20 years of continuous service. Innovative design solutions are needed in order to meet the criteria of improved stiffness, fatigue life, reliability and efficiency. The directional property of anisotropic composite material can be used to passively control wind turbine blade structure. In the current research, a baseline wind turbine blade model of glass fiber and a carbon-hybrid model has been developed by replacing glass fiber in the spar cap region. In addition, the feasibility of using carbon fiber has been analyzed by comparing stress, strain and failure criteria analysis under different operating conditions.