Browse > Article
http://dx.doi.org/10.12989/sem.2017.63.6.703

Stochastic modelling fatigue crack evolution and optimum maintenance strategy for composite blades of wind turbines  

Chen, Hua-Peng (Department of Engineering Science, University of Greenwich)
Zhang, Chi (Department of Engineering Science, University of Greenwich)
Huang, Tian-Li (School of Civil Engineering, Central South University)
Publication Information
Structural Engineering and Mechanics / v.63, no.6, 2017 , pp. 703-712 More about this Journal
Abstract
The composite blades of offshore wind turbines accumulate structural damage such as fatigue cracking due to harsh operation environments during their service time, leading to premature structural failures. This paper investigates various fatigue crack models for reproducing crack development in composite blades and proposes a stochastic approach to predict fatigue crack evolution and to analyse failure probability for the composite blades. Three typical fatigue models for the propagation of fatigue cracks, i.e., Miner model, Paris model and Reifsnider model, are discussed to reproduce the fatigue crack evolution in composite blades subjected to cyclical loadings. The lifetime probability of fatigue failure of the composite blades is estimated by stochastic deterioration modelling such as gamma process. Based on time-dependent reliability analysis and lifecycle cost analysis, an optimised maintenance policy is determined to make the optimal decision for the composite blades during the service time. A numerical example is employed to investigate the effectiveness of predicting fatigue crack growth, estimating the probability of fatigue failure and evaluating an optimal maintenance policy. The results from the numerical study show that the stochastic gamma process together with the proper fatigue models can provide a useful tool for remaining useful life predictions and optimum maintenance strategies of the composite blades of offshore wind turbines.
Keywords
composite blade; offshore wind turbine; fatigue crack; stochastic modelling; reliability analysis; maintenance strategy;
Citations & Related Records
Times Cited By KSCI : 7  (Citation Analysis)
연도 인용수 순위
1 Avramidis, A.N. and L'Ecuyer, P. (2006), "Efficient Monte Carlo and quasi-Monte Carlo option pricing under the variance gamma model", Manage. Sci., 52(12), 1930-1944.   DOI
2 Blanco, N., Gamstedt, E.K., Asp, L.E. and Costa, J. (2004), "Mixed-mode delamination growth in carbon-fibre composite laminates under cyclic loading", Int. J. Solid. Struct., 41(15), 4219-4235.   DOI
3 Chen, H.P. (2015), "Monitoring-based reliability analysis of aging concrete structures by bayesian updating", J. Aerosp. Eng., B4015004.
4 Chen, H.P. and Alani, A.M. (2012), "Reliability and optimised maintenance for sea defences", Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers-Maritime Engineering, 165(2), 51-64.   DOI
5 Chen, H.P. and Alani, A.M. (2013), "Optimized maintenance strategy for concrete structures affected by cracking due to reinforcement corrosion", ACI Struct. J., 110(2), 229-238.
6 Chen, H.P. and Huang, T.L. (2012), "Updating finite element model using dynamic perturbation method and regularization algorithm", Smart Struct. Syst., 10(4-5), 427-442.   DOI
7 Chen, H.P. and Nepal, J. (2015), "Stochastic modelling and lifecycle performance assessment of bond strength of corroded reinforcement in concrete", Struct. Eng. Mech., 54(2), 319-336.   DOI
8 DiLorenzo, E., Petrone, G., Manzato, S., Peeters, B., Desmet, W. and Marulo, F. (2016), "Damage detection in wind turbine blades by using operational modal analysis", Struct. Hlth. Monit., 15(3), 289-301.   DOI
9 Chen, H.P. and Xiao, N. (2015), "Symptom-based reliability analyses and performance assessment of corroded reinforced concrete structures", Struct. Eng. Mech., 53(6), 1183-1200.   DOI
10 Degrieck, J. and Van Paepegem, W. (2001), "Fatigue damage modeling of fibre-reinforced composite materials: Review", Appl. Mech. Rev., 54(4), 279-300.   DOI
11 Esteban, M.D., Diez, J.J., Lopez, J.S. and Negro, V. (2011), "Why offshore wind energy", Renew. Energy, 36(2), 444-450.   DOI
12 Florian, M. and Sorensen, J.D. (2015), "Wind turbine blade life-time assessment model for preventive planning of operation and maintenance", J. Marine Sci. Eng., 3(3), 1027-1040.   DOI
13 Guida, M. and Penta, F. (2015), "A gamma process model for the analysis of fatigue crack growth data", Eng. Fract. Mech., 142(2), 21-49.   DOI
14 Kim, S., Frangopol, D.M. and Soliman, M. (2013), "Generalized probabilistic framework for optimum inspection and maintenance planning", J. Struct. Eng., 139(3), 435-447.   DOI
15 Hu, W., Choi, K.K. and Cho, H. (2016a), "Reliability-based design optimization of wind turbine blades for fatigue life under dynamic wind load uncertainty", Struct. Multidisc. Optim., 54(4), 953-970.   DOI
16 Hu, W., Choi, K.K., Zhupanska, O. and Buchholz, J.H. (2016b), "Integrating variable wind load, aerodynamic and structural analyses towards accurate fatigue life prediction in composite wind turbine blades", Struct. Multidisc. Optim., 53(3), 375-394.   DOI
17 Hu, W., Park, D. and Choi, D. (2013), "Structural optimization procedure of a composite wind turbine blade for reducing both material cost and blade weight", Eng. Optim., 45(12), 1469-1487.   DOI
18 Huang, T.L., Zhou, H., Chen, H.P. and Ren, W.X. (2016), "Stochastic modelling and optimum inspection and maintenance strategy for fatigue affected steel bridge members", Smart Struct. Syst., 18(3), 569-584.   DOI
19 Jureczko, M.E.Z.Y.K., Pawlak, M. and Mezyk, A. (2005), "Optimisation of wind turbine blades", J. Mater. Pr. Technol., 167(2), 463-471.   DOI
20 Li, S. and Lu, Z.R. (2015), "Multi-swarm fruit fly optimization algorithm for structural damage identification", Struct. Eng. Mech., 56(3), 409-422.   DOI
21 Liu, Y. and Shu, D.W. (2015), "Effects of edge crack on the vibration characteristics of delaminated beams", Struct. Eng. Mech., 53(4), 767-780.   DOI
22 Marquez-Dominguez, S. and Sorensen, J.D. (2012), "Fatigue reliability and calibration of fatigue design factors for offshore wind turbines", Energ., 5(6), 1816-1834.   DOI
23 McMillan, D. and Ault, G.W. (2007), "Quantification of condition monitoring benefit for offshore wind turbines", Wind Eng., 31(4), 267-285.   DOI
24 Shafiee, M., Finkelstein, M. and Berenguer, C. (2015), "An opportunistic condition-based maintenance policy for offshore wind turbine blades subjected to degradation and environmental shocks", Reliab. Eng. Syst. Saf., 142(44), 463-471.   DOI
25 Montesano, J., Chu, H. and Singh, C.V. (2016), "Development of a physics-based multi-scale progressive damage model for assessing the durability of wind turbine blades", Compos. Struct., 141(6), 50-62   DOI
26 Nielsen, J.J. and Sorensen, J.D. (2011), "On risk-based operation and maintenance of offshore wind turbine components", Reliab. Eng. Syst. Saf., 96(1), 218-229.   DOI
27 Paris, P.C. and Erdogan, F. (1963), "A critical analysis of crack propagation laws", J. Bas. Eng., 85(4), 528-533.   DOI
28 Pugno, N., Ciavarella, M., Cornetti, P. and Carpinteri, A. (2006), "A generalized Paris' law for fatigue crack growth", J. Mech. Phys. Solid., 54(7), 1333-1349.   DOI
29 Reifsnider, K.L. (2012), Fatigue of Composite Materials, Vol. 4, Elsevier, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
30 Shi, W., Han, J., Kim, C., Lee, D., Shin, H. and Park, H. (2015), "Feasibility study of offshore wind turbine substructures for southwest offshore wind farm project in Korea", Renew. Energy, 74(44), 406-413.   DOI
31 Sierra-Perez, J., Torres-Arredondo, M.A. and Guemes, A. (2016), "Damage and nonlinearities detection in wind turbine blades based on strain field pattern recognition. FBGs, OBR and strain gauges comparison", Compos. Struct., 135(15), 156-166.   DOI
32 Sorensen, J.D. (2009), "Framework for risk-based planning of operation and maintenance for offshore wind turbines", Wind Energy, 12(5), 493-506.   DOI
33 Miner, M.A. (1945), "Cumulative damage in fatigue", J. Appl. Mech., 12(3), 159-164.
34 Yang, J., Peng, C., Xiao, J., Zeng, J., Xing, S., Jin, J. and Deng, H. (2013a), "Structural investigation of composite wind turbine blade considering structural collapse in full-scale static tests", Compos. Struct., 97(2), 15-29.   DOI
35 Sun, Q., Dui, H.N. and Fan, X.L. (2014), "A statistically consistent fatigue damage model based on Miner's rule", Int. J. Fatig., 69(2), 16-21.   DOI
36 Van Noortwijk, J.M. (2009), "A survey of the application of gamma processes in maintenance", Reliab. Eng. Syst. Saf., 94(1), 2-21.   DOI
37 Van Noortwijk, J.M. and Frangopol, D.M. (2004), "Two probabilistic life-cycle maintenance models for deteriorating civil infrastructures", Probab. Eng. Mech., 19(4), 345-359.   DOI
38 Van Noortwijk, J.M., van der Weide, J.A., Kallen, M.J. and Pandey, M.D. (2007), "Gamma processes and peaks-over-threshold distributions for time-dependent reliability", Reliab. Eng. Syst. Saf., 92(12), 1651-1658.   DOI
39 Wu, F. and Yao, W. (2010), "A fatigue damage model of composite materials", Int. J. Fatig., 32(1), 134-138.   DOI
40 Yang, W., Court, R. and Jiang, J. (2013b), "Wind turbine condition monitoring by the approach of SCADA data analysis", Renew. Energy, 53(44), 365-376.   DOI
41 Yu, L. and Zhu, J.H. (2015), "Nonlinear damage detection using higher statistical moments of structural responses", Struct. Eng. Mech., 54(2), 221-237.   DOI
42 Zhang, C. and Chen, H.P. (2016a), "A stochastic model for damage evolution of mode II delamination fatigue of composite wind turbine blades", The Fifth International Symposium on Life-Cycle Civil Engineering (IALCCE), Delft, Netherlands, October.
43 Zhang, C. and Chen, H.P. (2016b), "Structural health monitoring for fatigue analysis of wind turbine composite blades under wind load uncertainty", The Sixth workshop on Civil Structural Health monitoring (CSHM-6), Belfast, UK, June.
44 Zhou, H.F., Dou, H.Y., Qin, L.Z., Chen, Y., Ni, Y.Q. and Ko, J.M. (2014), "A review of full-scale structural testing of wind turbine blades", Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., 33(17), 177-187.   DOI
45 Zhang, C., Chen, H.P. and Huang, T.L. (2016a), "Stochastic modelling of lifecycle delamination damage evolution of composite blades of wind turbines", International Conference on Smart Infrastructure and Construction (ICSIC 2016), Cambridge, UK, May.
46 Zhang, M., Tan, B. and Xu, J. (2016b), "Smart fatigue load control on the large-scale wind turbine blades using different sensing signals", Renew. Energy, 87(10), 111-119.   DOI