Prediction of the elastic properties and fatigue damage evolution in bundle-based composites for wind turbines

Abstract

Wind turbines represent a highly sustainable mean for the energy production. In the last years, the length of rotor blades has increased to produce more power without making taller towers. In fact, for a rotor blade of twice the length, the power output is quadrupled. Structural light-weight materials with high specific stiffness and capable of withstanding cyclic loadings are required. Composite materials play an important role in the rotor blade assembly. Multidirectional laminates made from non-crimp fabrics (NCFs) are commonly used in areas like shear webs, leading edge and trailing edge. In these materials, unidirectional bundles are held together by other fibre bundles, characterized by a lower areal weight and different orientations