Blades

Design, Materials and manufacture

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Naming and definitions

Wind Turbine Blades An Overview 3
Leading
edge
Trailing edge
root
Tip
Leeward
Torsion/pitch
Flap direction
Edge direction
Profile
chord
Pitch axis/sweep angle
Windward
Blade Requirements
What do we need from our Blades?
Low weight
Reduce loads on rest of turbine
Easier to transport and handle
Stiff
Tower Strike is a design
constraint
Need to maintain aerodynamic
shape
Strength and Durability
Avoid Material Failure (extreme
loads and fatigue), buckling,
performance degradation due to
erosion etc.
Aerodynamic design
Easy to manufacture
Low price

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Loads on the Blade

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Rotational speed
Lift
Drag
Bending force
Wind speed
Relative wind speed
Effective driving force
Centre line
Loads on the Blade
Design Loads are split
into 2 sets:
Edgewise
Flapwise
Need to consider
Extreme Cases
Fatigue Loads

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Loads on the Blade
Load magnitudes are high.
For the extreme forward flapwise case it is the same as hanging 2 empty
double decker london buses from the tip of the blade!!
Under this load the blade deflects by about 10m at the tip.

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Structural Concepts
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How do we get a light, stiff and strong blade that can withstand the loads for 20 years ?
Efficient arrangement of the best materials.




Pre-Preg
Blade
Wood Carbon
Blade
Materials
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Glass fibre (Unidirectional, or
woven)
Carbon fibre (Unidirectional layers
or prefabricated rods
Epoxy
PUR-glue
High density PVC-foam
Wood (balsa, plywood)
Steel and copper
Manufacture of PrePreg Blades
Sub process Precutting of prepreg

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Supporting carbon spar concept
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The supporting spar with a
rectangular section
The airfoil shells with sandwich
construction at the rear
Prepreg
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PREimPREGnated glass or carbon
fibres
Fibres impregnated with epoxy
resin and hardener
Prepreg is tacky and easy mount
Vacuum is used to remove air and
heat start the hardening process
Manufacture
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Root joint
Main spar Shells Finish
Tip spar
Precutting
prepreg
Painting
Main process
Sub process
Start End
Process flow prepreg blade production
Sub process Tip spar Lay-up on tip spar
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Sub process Curing of tip spar
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Main process Main spar Putting on root joint
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Main process Putting on tip spar
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Main process Lay-up on main spar
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Main process Curing of main spar
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Main process Shells Layout of coat
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Main process Lay-up of prepreg
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Main process Lay-up of PVC
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Main process Vacuum on shells
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Main process Curing of shells / close mould
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Main process Remove support materials
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Main process Layout glue
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Main process Putting main spar into the shells
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Main process Open the mould after curing of glue
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Main process Moving the blade after de-moulding
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Main process Finish Grinding / repair of edges
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Main process Grinding with flatter grinding machine
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Main process Painting of blade
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Blade Weights
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Blade
length
Weight
(approx.)
23 meter 1300 Kg
25 meter 1800 Kg
32 meter 3600 Kg
39 meter 6500 Kg
44 meter 6300 Kg
Wood carbon concept
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Sandwich Construction to provide extra flexural stiffness
Carbon pultrusions provide extra global stiffness
Glass along TE provides stiffness for edgewise loads.
Wood Carbon Manufacture
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Lay Materials into Blade
halves (Leeward/Windward
Vacuum Assisted Resin
infusion
Cure Cycle
Debagging
Join Up
Breakout
Finishing
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