Trends in the Design, Manufacture and Evaluation of Wind Turbine Blades

TLDR

Wind turbine blades are continuously improved through better designs, materials, manufacturing, analysis, and testing, with recent turbine size growth prompting weight‑constrained design strategies that build on past advancements. The study explores future blade design options such as new planforms, aerofoils, and aeroelastic tailoring. The authors review manufacturing trends, evolving design drivers, material choices from glass to carbon fibers, advanced stress analysis, full‑scale testing, and propose new planforms, aerofoils, and aeroelastic tailoring for future blades. © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abstract

Abstract Wind turbine blades continue to be the target of technological improvements by the use of better designs, materials, manufacturing, analysis and testing. As the size of turbines has grown over the past decade, designers have restrained the associated growth in blade weight to less than would have been possible through simple scaling‐up of past approaches. These past improvements are briefly summarized. Manufacturing trends and design drivers are presented, as are the ways these design drivers have changed. Issues related to blade material choices are described, first for the currently dominant glass fibre technology and then for the potential use of carbon fibres. Some possible directions for future blade design options are presented, namely new planforms, aerofoils and aeroelastic tailoring. The significant improvement in sophistication of stress analysis and full‐scale blade testing are also discussed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.