Vibration and dynamic response of hybrid wind turbine blades

As the scale of wind turbine blades continues to expand, economical and practical considerations lead us to explore the use of hybrid carbon/glass fiber reinforced composites. Herein, we investigate the feasibility of introducing modular composite tubulars to replace the traditional shear web construction to tailor specific stiffness and strength. Computational simulations are undertaken to understand the static and dynamic regimes; specifically, displacements, stresses, and vibration modes. Preliminary results indicate some loss in the stiffness to weight ratio. Further material and geometric tailoring is essential to compensate for local torsional stiffness and high stress concentrations at the tubular joints. Hybrid reinforcement and the dynamic response studies will be extended to address potential damage mechanisms due to impact.

2nd Joint US-Canada Conference on Composites - American Society for Composites, 26th Annual Technical Conference: Canadian Association for Composite Structures and Materials

Vibration and dynamic response of hybrid wind turbine blades Conference Paper