Title
Improving the Blade Root Laminate of a Wind Turbine
Author
Chhabra, Arjun (TU Delft Aerospace Engineering)
Contributor
Alderliesten, Rene (mentor)
Degree granting institution
Delft University of Technology
Programme
Aerospace Engineering
Date
2019-08-29
Abstract
Suzlon's wind turbine blades are connected to the pitch bearing and hence the hub using a T-Bolt (Ikea) connection. The merits of this bolted connection and the experience in its usage has led to its continuous use in the wind industry. Engineers at Suzlon believe that this connection can be optimized by improving the net-tension strength and stiffness of the blade root laminate.
For that purpose, pin-loaded specimens that represent the blade root laminate were tested for different material configurations (different fiber-type, orientation). A novel finite element model of the pin-loaded specimens is developed as a tool to predict the ultimate strengths of the specimens. Material Property Degradation Method is used as the damage evolution method for this model. Keeping the matrix tensile and compressive degradation factors same for all the material configurations give a good correlation with the tested specimens. However, the fiber tensile degradation factor changes with the change in the orientation of the fibers in the laminate. The net-tension strengths are also found to be proportional to the theoretical material tensile strengths.
Subject
T-bolt
Material Property Degradation Method
Progressive Damage Analysis
Pin-loaded Joints
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:f97204a0-037d-4f89-bd5a-f8b003f6944c
Embargo date
2024-12-31
Part of collection
Student theses
Document type
master thesis
Rights
© 2019 Arjun Chhabra