Experimental Validation of the Structural Integrity of Modular Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine Blades

The production, transportation and repair of long horizontal axis wind turbine blades measuring up to 85 m require expensive specialist machinery that increases the capital cost of wind power generation. A modular blade design is a potential solution to these problems however; the inclusion of joints could make the modular blades inherently weaker. This work investigates the effect of post-tensioned tendons on the structural integrity of modular blades, through cantilever deflection and tensile tests conducted on 3D printed small-scale prototypes. The experiment indicates 43% and 15.4% reduction in blade tip displacement and deflection caused by cyclic loading, respectively, in case of modular design with tendons compared to without tendons design.