Structural Design of a 750kW Composite Wind Turbine Blade

750kW급 풍력발전기용 복합재 블레이드의 구조설계

A GFRP based composite blade was developed for a 750kW wind energy conversion system of type class I. The blade sectional geometry was designed to have a general shell-spar structure. The load cases specified in the IEC61400-1 international specification were considered. For withstanding all relevant extreme loads, the structural analysis for the complete blade was performed using a commercial FEM code. The static load carrying capacity, buckling stability, blade tip deflection and natural frequencies at various rotational speeds were evaluated to satisfy the strength requirements in accordance with the IEC61400-1 and GL Regulations. For designing a lightweight blade, the thickness and the lay-up pattern of the skin-foam sandwich structures were optimized iteratively using the DOT program T-bolts were used for joining the blade root and the hub, which were modeled using a 3D FE volume model. In order to confirm the safety of the root connection, the static stresses of the thick root laminate and the steel. bolts were predicted by taking account of the bolt pretension and the root bending moments. The calculated stresses were compared with the material strengths.