Load Alleviation from an Adaptive 10 MW Wind Turbine Blade

The composite layup of a 10 MW wind turbine blade was modified to exhibit bend-twist coupling in an effort to reduce the loads on the turbine. An iterative procedure implementing an aerodynamic solver and nonlinear FE simulations was performed to determine the aeroelastic response of the adaptive blade. A maximum of 6 degrees twist towards feather was achieved at the blade tip. The induced twisting decreased the maximum bending load by 8.2% allowing for a decrease in maximum laminate thickness and a reduction of material amounting to 2.2%.