• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.221-236
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• 2017

In this study, the feasibility of vibration-based damage alarming algorithms are numerically evaluated for wind turbine tower structures which are subjected to harmonic force excitation. Firstly, the algorithm of vibration-based damage alarming for the wind turbine tower (WTT) is visited. The natural frequency change, modal assurance criterion (MAC) and frequency-response-ratio assurance criterion (FRRAC) are utilized to recognize changes in dynamic characteristics due to a structural damage. Secondly, a finite element model based on a real wind turbine tower is established in a structural analysis program, Midas FEA. The harmonic force is applied at the rotor level as presence of excitation. Several structural damage scenarios are numerically simulated in segmental joints of the wind turbine model. Finally, the natural frequency change, MAC and FRRAC algorithm are employed to identify the structural damage occurred in the finite element model. The results show that these criteria could be used as promising damage existence indicators for the damage alarming in wind turbine supporting structures.

• Journal of Wind Energy
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.13-20
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• 2023

A self-climbing crane (SCC) system is under development for the installation and maintenance of wind turbines. It can move vertically along the wind turbine tower by itself. One of the key components of the SCC system is the clamping pad to maintain a safe position on the wind turbine tower. The SCC system can maintain its position on the tower from the frictional force generated between the surfaces of the clamping pads and the tower. If the frictional force provided by the clamping pads are insufficient, the SCC system cannot stay in the vertical position on the tower. Therefore, the development of clamping pads with sufficient frictional force is very important for the SCC system. At the same time, the operation of the SCC system should not damage the paint coating of the wind turbine tower. In order to verify that the frictional force is sufficient and that frictional and compressive forces do not cause damage to the paint, a number of combined compression and shear loading tests were conducted using a test device prepared for this study. The details regarding the test specimens, test procedure, and test results are summarized in this paper.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.285-299
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• 2012

This paper describes the development and calibration of a structural monitoring system installed in a 80 meters high steel wind tower supporting a 2.1 MW turbine Wind Class III IEC2a erected in the central part of Portugal. The several signals are measured at four different levels and include accelerations, strains on the tower wall and inside the connection bolts, inclinations and temperature. In order to correlate measurements with the wind velocity and direction and with the turbine operational parameters the corresponding signals are obtained directly from the turbine own monitoring system and are incorporated in the developed system. Results from the system calibration, the structural identification and the initial period of data acquisition are presented in this paper.

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
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• 2005.07a
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• pp.411-413
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• 2005

This paper proposes a modeling of wind turbine simulator which includes the dynamic characteristics such as pitch angle control, torsional vibration, and tower effect. Simulation results using PSCAD are provided to show the wind turbine simulator performance.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.507-519
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• 2018

In this paper, damage assessment in wind-turbine towers using vibration-based artificial neural networks (ANNs) is numerically investigated. At first, a vibration-based ANNs algorithm is designed for damage detection in a wind turbine tower. The ANNs architecture consists of an input, an output, and hidden layers. Modal parameters of the wind turbine tower such as mode shapes and frequencies are utilized as the input and the output layer composes of element stiffness indices. Next, the finite element model of a real wind-turbine tower is established as the test structure. The natural frequencies and mode shapes of the test structure are computed under various damage cases of single and multiple damages to generate training patterns. Finally, the ANNs are trained using the generated training patterns and employed to detect damaged elements and severities in the test structure.

• Journal of Industrial Technology
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• v.27 no.A
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• pp.47-53
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• 2007

A theoretical model based on Rayleigh-Ritz method is proposed to predict the resonance frequency of a W/T(Wind Turbine) tower structure supported by guy cables. In order to verify the validity of the theoretical model, a reduced W/T tower system is manufactured and tested. Frequency response and mode data are determined by modal testing and finite element analysis is performed to calculate the natural frequency of the tower model. Numerical and experimental results are compared with those by the theoretical analysis. Parametric study by the theoretical model shows how the cable tension and cable elasticity influence the resonance frequency of the W/T tower structure. Finally, vibration response under various rotating speed is investigated to examine the possibility of severe resonance.

• Journal of Wind Energy
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.43-49
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• 2014

Primarily, tower loads of a wind turbine arise from aerodynamic effect and a top head mass. But sometime asymmetric loads of rotor also affect on the tower loads. Especially ice formation on two blades out of three causes the asymmetric loads, because the ice formation on blades lead to large rotating mass imbalance. This rotating mass imbalance of rotor affects tower fatigue loads. So design load cases of ice formation on blade should be considered in the fatigue design loads of the tower according to GL guideline 2010. This paper describes the change of tower fatigue loads following increase of tower height in the condition of ice formation. Finally, the optimal operation strategy is examined in order to reduce tower fatigue design loads.

• International Journal of Ocean System Engineering
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.164-168
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• 2013

Tidal-current power is now recognized as a clean power resource. The turbine blade is the fundamental component of a tidal current power turbine. The kinetic energy available within a tidal current can be converted into rotational power by turbine blades. While in service, turbine blades are generally subjected to cyclic fatigue loading due to their rotation and the rotor-tower interaction. Predicting the fatigue life under a hydrodynamic fatigue load is very important to prevent blade failure while in service. To predict the fatigue life, hydrodynamic load data should be acquired. In this study, the vibration characteristics were analyzed based on three-dimensional unsteady simulations to obtain the cyclic fatigue load. Our results can be applied to the fatigue design of horizontal-axis tidal turbines.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.507-535
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• 2017

In the strong wind shutdown state, the blade position significantly affects the streaming behavior and stability performance of wind turbine towers. By selecting the 3M horizontal axis wind turbine independently developed by Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics as the research object, the CFD method was adopted to simulate the flow field of the tower-blade system at eight shutdown positions within a single rotation period of blades. The effectiveness of the simulation method was validated by comparing the simulation results with standard curves. In addition, the dynamic property, aerostatic response, buckling stability and ultimate bearing capacity of the wind turbine system at different shutdown positions were calculated by using the finite element method. On this basis, the influence regularity of blade shutdown position on the wind-induced response and stability performance of wind turbine systems was derived, with the most unfavorable working conditions of wind-induced buckling failure of this type of wind turbines concluded. The research results implied that within a rotation period of the wind turbine blade, when the blade completely overlaps the tower (Working condition 1), the aerodynamic performance of the system is the poorest while the aerostatic response is relatively small. Since the influence of the structure's geometrical nonlinearity on the system wind-induced response is small, the maximum displacement only has a discrepancy of 0.04. With the blade rotating clockwise, its wind-induced stability performance presents a variation tendency of first-increase-then-decrease. Under Working condition 3, the critical instability wind speed reaches its maximum value, while the critical instability wind speed under Working condition 6 is the smallest. At the same time, the coupling effect between tower and blade leads to a reverse effect which can significantly improve the ultimate bearing capacity of the system. With the reduction of the area of tower shielded by blades, this reverse effect becomes more obvious.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2009.04a
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• pp.49-59
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• 2009

Vibrations of the tower structures of 750kW and 6kW wind turbines(WT) are investigated by measurement and analysis. Acceleration responses of the WT towers under various operation condition are monitored in real time by the remote monitoring system using LabVIEW. Using the monitoring system, resonance condition of the tower structures is diagnosed with the wind speed data within the operating speed range. To predict the tower resonance frequency, 750 kW tower is modeled as an equivalent beam with a lumped mass and Rayleigh energy method is applied. For 6 kW WT, Rayleigh-Ritz analysis is carried out on the tower-cable coupled system. Calculated tower bending frequency is in good agreement with the measured value. Using the analysis model, parametric study is available in order to prevent the severe resonance.