05/21/2021

Fraunhofer IWES to construct XXL rotor blade test bench

The construction for testing XXL blades is situated in immediate vicinity to the rotor blade test rigs (Image: Fraunhofer IWES/Peter Sondermann)

The Fraunhofer institute has lacked the appropriate infrastructure to accommodate requests to test XXL blades from international manufacturers. This is now to be remedied when the bench is commissioned in summer 2022.

Official Press Release Fraunhofer IWES:

Construction begins on superlative rotor blade test bench

Wind Industry Profile of

The Fraunhofer IWES is now starting construction work on a third rotor blade test bench at its Großer Westring site in Bremerhaven, Germany.

Once complete, the bench will be used to test state-of-the-art prototypes measuring 115 m in length and even more. Some €19 million are set to be invested in the project bearing the name “Future Concept for Fatigue Strength of Rotor Blades Phase II”, which will see the construction of a testing infrastructure with a modular test block and the development of new methods for investigating subsegments. The site at the Fischereihafen offers the advantage that long blades which have been transported by sea have only a short distance to travel to the testing hall. In the past five years, the dimensions of the latest... ... More: Official Press Release Fraunhofer IWES