DLR Conducts Vibration Tests on Rotor Blades

Wind Industry Profile of

Transferring aeronautics test methods to wind turbines

An electrodynamic vibration exciter pulls and pushes at the 20-metre SmartBlades DemoBlade with a force of 100 kilograms. The rotor blade oscillates with a deflection of 50 centimetres at the tip. Researchers from the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) are conducting precise analyses of these movements and the material stresses on the rotor blade. To do this, the researchers have fitted 300 acceleration and 200 strain sensors directly to the blade. The data they record enables logging of the deformation in the rotor blade with millimetre precision; this is then compared with a simulation model. With these innovative vibration tests, the researchers obtain data on the vibration... ... More: Official Press Release DLR

Keywords:

DLR, vibration, rotor blade, wind turbine, testing