Investigation and Validation of Numerical Models for Composite Wind Turbine Blades

As the world shifts to using renewable sources of energy, wind energy has been established as one of the leading forms of renewable energy. As the requirement for wind energy increases, so too does the size of the turbines themselves, where the latest turbines are 10 MW with a turbine diameter in excess of 190 m. The design and manufacture of the blades for these turbines will be critical if they are to last for the design life, where the accuracy of the numerical models used in the design process is paramount. Therefore, in this paper, three independent numerical models have been created using three available finite element method packages—ABAQUS, ANSYS, and CalculiX—and the results were compiled. Following this, the accuracy of the models has been evaluated and validated against the results from an experimental testing campaign. In order to complete the study, a 13 m full-scale wind turbine blade has been used, which has been subjected to static testing in both the edgewise and flapwise directions. The results from this testing campaign, along with the blade mass and natural frequencies, have been compared to the results from the independent numerical models. The differences in the models, along with other sources of error, have been discussed, which includes recommendations on the development of accurate numerical models.