Damage detection in a composite wind turbine blade using 3D scanning laser vibrometry

Marks, Ryan ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0623-7044, Gillam, Clare, Clarke, Alastair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3603-6000, Armstrong, J. and Pullin, Rhys ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2853-6099 2017. Damage detection in a composite wind turbine blade using 3D scanning laser vibrometry. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science 231 (16) , pp. 3024-3041. 10.1177/0954406216679612

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Abstract

As worldwide wind energy generation capacity grows, there is an increasing demand to ensure structural integrity of the turbine blades to maintain efficient and safe energy generation. Currently, traditional non-destructive testing methods and visual inspections are employed which require the turbine to be out-of-operation during the inspection periods, resulting in costly and lengthy downtime. This study experimentally investigates the potential for using Lamb waves to monitor the structural integrity of a composite wind turbine blade that has been subject to an impact representative of damage which occurs in service. 3D scanning laser vibrometry was used to measure Lamb waves excited at three different frequencies both prior to, and after, impact to identify settings for an optimal system. Signal processing techniques were applied to the datasets to successfully locate the damage and highlight regions on the structure where the Lamb wave was significantly influenced by the presence of the impact damage. Damage size resulting from the impact was found to correlate well with the laser vibrometry results. The study concluded that acousto-ultrasonic-based structural health monitoring systems have great potential for monitoring the structural integrity of wind turbine blades.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Engineering
Subjects:	T Technology > TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
Publisher:	Sage
ISSN:	0954-4062
Funders:	EPSRC
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	6 December 2016
Date of Acceptance:	12 September 2016
Last Modified:	28 Nov 2024 20:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/96652

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