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Advances in Wind Turbine Blade Design and Materials

Advances in Wind Turbine Blade Design and Materials

by R Nijssen, P Brøndsted
Publisher: Woodhead Publishing
Release Date: October 2013
ISBN: 9780857094261
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Book Description

Wind energy is gaining critical ground in the area of renewable energy, with wind energy being predicted to provide up to 8% of the world’s consumption of electricity by 2021. Advances in wind turbine blade design and materials reviews the design and functionality of wind turbine rotor blades as well as the requirements and challenges for composite materials used in both current and future designs of wind turbine blades.

Part one outlines the challenges and developments in wind turbine blade design, including aerodynamic and aeroelastic design features, fatigue loads on wind turbine blades, and characteristics of wind turbine blade airfoils. Part two discusses the fatigue behavior of composite wind turbine blades, including the micromechanical modelling and fatigue life prediction of wind turbine blade composite materials, and the effects of resin and reinforcement variations on the fatigue resistance of wind turbine blades. The final part of the book describes advances in wind turbine blade materials, development and testing, including biobased composites, surface protection and coatings, structural performance testing and the design, manufacture and testing of small wind turbine blades.

Advances in wind turbine blade design and materials offers a comprehensive review of the recent advances and challenges encountered in wind turbine blade materials and design, and will provide an invaluable reference for researchers and innovators in the field of wind energy production, including materials scientists and engineers, wind turbine blade manufacturers and maintenance technicians, scientists, researchers and academics.

  • Reviews the design and functionality of wind turbine rotor blades
  • Examines the requirements and challenges for composite materials used in both current and future designs of wind turbine blades
  • Provides an invaluable reference for researchers and innovators in the field of wind energy production

Table of Contents

  1. Cover image
  2. Title page
  3. Table of Contents
  4. Copyright
  5. Contributor contact details
  6. Woodhead Publishing Series in Energy
  7. Introduction
  8. Part I: Wind turbine blade design: challenges and developments
    1. Chapter 1: Introduction to wind turbine blade design
      1. Abstract:
      2. 1.1 Introduction
      3. 1.2 Design principles and failure mechanisms
      4. 1.3 Challenges and future trends
    2. Chapter 2: Loads on wind turbine blades
      1. Abstract:
      2. 2.1 Introduction
      3. 2.2 Types of load
      4. 2.3 Generation of loads
      5. 2.4 Fatigue and extreme loads
      6. 2.5 Design verification testing
      7. 2.6 Challenges and future trends
      8. 2.7 Sources of further information and advice
    3. Chapter 3: Aerodynamic design of wind turbine rotors
      1. Abstract:
      2. 3.1 Introduction
      3. 3.2 The blade element momentum (BEM) method
      4. 3.3 Important parameters in aerodynamic rotor design
      5. 3.4 Particular design parameters
      6. 3.5 An example of the rotor design process
      7. 3.6 Future trends
      8. 3.7 Sources of further information and advice
      9. 3.8 Acknowledgements
    4. Chapter 4: Aerodynamic characteristics of wind turbine blade airfoils
      1. Abstract:
      2. 4.1 Introduction
      3. 4.2 Computational methods
      4. 4.3 Desired characteristics
      5. 4.4 The effect of leading edge contamination (roughness) and Reynolds number
      6. 4.5 Airfoil testing
      7. 4.6 Airfoil characteristics at high angles of attack
      8. 4.7 Correction for centrifugal and Coriolis forces
      9. 4.8 Establishing data for blade design
      10. 4.9 Future trends
    5. Chapter 5: Aeroelastic design of wind turbine blades
      1. Abstract:
      2. 5.1 Introduction
      3. 5.2 Wind turbine blade aeroelasticity
      4. 5.3 Blade design
      5. Conclusion
      6. 5.4 Complete turbine design
      7. 5.5 Challenges and future trends
      8. 5.6 Sources of further information and advice
  9. Part II: Fatigue behaviour of composite wind turbine blades
    1. Chapter 6: Fatigue as a design driver for composite wind turbine blades
      1. Abstract:
      2. 6.1 Introduction
      3. 6.2 Materials in blades
      4. 6.3 Blade structure and components
      5. 6.4 Fundamentals of wind turbine blade fatigue
      6. 6.5 Research into wind turbine blade fatigue and its modelling
      7. 6.6 Future trends
      8. 6.7 Conclusion
    2. Chapter 7: Effects of resin and reinforcement variations on fatigue resistance of wind turbine blades
      1. Abstract:
      2. 7.1 Introduction
      3. 7.2 Effects of loading conditions for glass and carbon laminates
      4. 7.3 Tensile fatigue trends with laminate construction and fiber content for glass fiber laminates
      5. 7.4 Effects of resin and fabric structure on tensile fatigue resistance
      6. 7.5 Delamination and material transitions
      7. 7.6 Comparison of fatigue trends for blade materials
      8. 7.7 Conclusion
      9. 7.8 Future trends
      10. 7.9 Sources of further information and advice
      11. 7.10 Acknowledgments
    3. Chapter 8: Fatigue life prediction of wind turbine blade composite materials
      1. Abstract:
      2. 8.1 Introduction
      3. 8.2 Macroscopic failure theories
      4. 8.3 Strength and stiffness degradation fatigue theories
      5. 8.4 Fracture mechanics fatigue theories
      6. 8.5 Case study: Phenomenological fatigue life prediction
      7. 8.6 Future trends
    4. Chapter 9: Micromechanical modelling of wind turbine blade materials
      1. Abstract:
      2. 9.1 Introduction
      3. 9.2 Analytical models of the mechanical behaviour, strength and damage of fibre-reinforced composites: an overview
      4. 9.3 Unit cell modelling of fibre-reinforced composites
      5. 9.4 Three-dimensional modelling of composite degradation under tensile loading
      6. 9.5 Carbon fibre-reinforced composites: statistical and compressive loading effects
      7. 9.6 Hierarchical composites with nanoengineered matrix
      8. 9.7 Conclusions and future trends
      9. 9.8 Sources of further information and advice
      10. 9.9 Acknowledgements
    5. Chapter 10: Probabilistic design of wind turbine blades
      1. Abstract:
      2. 10.1 Introduction
      3. 10.2 Structural analysis models
      4. 10.3 Failure definition
      5. 10.4 Random variables
      6. 10.5 Probabilistic methods and models
      7. 10.6 Application examples and discussion of techniques
      8. 10.7 Challenges and future trends
      9. 10.8 Sources of further information and advice
  10. Part III: Advances in wind turbine blade materials, development and testing
    1. Chapter 11: Biobased composites: materials, properties and potential applications as wind turbine blade materials
      1. Abstract:
      2. 11.1 Introduction
      3. 11.2 Biobased fibres and matrix materials
      4. 11.3 Biobased composites
      5. 11.4 Case study: Comparison between cellulose and glass fibre composites
      6. 11.5 Special considerations in the development and application of biobased composites
    2. Chapter 12: Surface protection and coatings for wind turbine rotor blades
      1. Abstract:
      2. 12.1 Introduction
      3. 12.2 Fundamentals of surface protection for wind turbine blades
      4. 12.3 Protection from blade icing, lightning and air traffic
      5. 12.4 Performance testing of protection layers: an introduction
      6. 12.5 Accelerated testing of the surface coatings of wind turbine blades in practice
      7. 12.6 Conclusions, challenges and future trends
    3. Chapter 13: Design, manufacture and testing of small wind turbine blades
      1. Abstract:
      2. 13.1 Introduction
      3. 13.2 Requirements for small wind turbine blades
      4. 13.3 Materials and manufacture
      5. 13.4 Blade testing
      6. 13.5 Installation and operation
      7. 13.6 Challenges and future trends
      8. 13.7 Acknowledgements
    4. Chapter 14: Wind turbine blade structural performance testing
      1. Abstract:
      2. 14.1 Introduction
      3. 14.2 Test program
      4. 14.3 Types of tests
      5. 14.4 Test loads
      6. 14.5 Test details
      7. 14.6 Conclusion
  11. Index