Identify Damage before Turbine Failure

A UMass Lowell researcher investigating how to identify damage in wind turbines before they fail has received $1.4 million to develop a solution.

Murat Inalpolat, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, has devised a way to assess the integrity of wind turbine blades by using sound. The new grant from the U.S. Department of Energy will support these efforts. Wind power is projected to become a more than $170 billion industry over the next four years, according to a study by Global Market Insights Inc. There are nearly 60,000 wind turbines in the country and more than 341,000 around the world, according to figures from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Global Wind Energy Council. Commercial wind turbine blades, which are made of fiberglass composite,... ... More: Official Press Release UMass Lowell

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