Design and Fabrication of Composite Wind Blades for a 5kW Wind Power System

Abstract

The development of composite wind blades for a 5kW wind turbine blade is presented. During the design process, the distributions of the twisting angle and wind load along the long axis of the blade are determined in the aerodynamic analysis of the blade. A finite element model is constructed for the design and stress analysis of the wind blade made of glass-fabric composites. The failure modes such as the first-ply failure and buckling of the skin of the composite wind blade are identified in the finite element analysis of the blade. The wind blade parts were fabricated using the hand-layup and vacuum-bag molding technique. The blade was composed of two, namely, upper and lower, composite skins which were joined together via a composite shear web. The wind blade was tested to validate the suitability of the design.