Design of a turbine blade root connection with bushings

With a growing demand for longer blades in the wind turbine industry for higher rated power per turbine, a structurally sound blade-root connection is of commercial importance. Bushing connections have been a commercially favoured design in the past few years, replacing the commonly used T-bolt connection as the joining method of choice. The new...

Optimization of a wind turbine blade-root connection

For several years T-bolts have been a popular choice for joints in the field of wind energy, specifically for connecting the blade roots to the hub of the wind turbine. Their use is mandated by the geometry of the joint and they perform very well under pure axial loading. However recent analyses have shown significant bending stresses in the T...