STRENGTH ANALYSIS OF A BLADE WITH DIFFERENT CROSS-SECTIONS

Abstract

The efficiency of horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) blades is examined in this paper concerning the effect of cross-section airfoil type. Three different airfoils were examined: symmetric (NACA 4412), asymmetric (NACA 0012), and supercritical (NACA 4412). (EPPLER 417). The analyses that were performed combined theory and experiment. Theoretical analyses were carried out using Fortran 90 code and the blade element momentum-based Qblade code. The blade was created using SolidWorks software and a 3D printer for testing purposes. The findings of experimental tests supported the conclusions of the theory. Research revealed that the EPPLER 417 blade, which has a supercritical airfoil, performed better than other examined objects. NACA 4412, NACA 0012, and EPPLER 417 each have a power coefficient of 0.516, 0.492, and 0.510. According to the experimental data, the EPPLER 417 airfoil outperforms other air-foils in terms of power and speed reduction. To calculate the deformation and stresses of the three blades with various cross sections, CFD analysis was done in ANSYS Workbench. The CFD results showed that NACA 4412 has the highest strength but EPPLER 417 was considered the optimum cross-section based on power generation and acceptable stress values.