Dynamic characterization of whisper 500 turbine blade

Abstract

The aim of this research is to analyze the dynamic behavior of a 2.2 m whisper 500 wind turbine blade. Several roving impact hammer modal tests were carried out in both free-free and fixed-free conditions. A reduced order model to capture the essential dynamics of the blade is also developed to represent the actual blade. This reduced order model can be used in embedded sensors for damage identification. The prediction capability of this reduced model is tested and validated, where "simulated" damage is introduced to the blade in the form of masses loading the blade. After characterizing the blade, a Kalman filter is implemented to estimate the blade t4ip deflection from accelerometer data. First, a simplified two degree of freedom model is developed in Matlab to verify the performance of the filter. The blade model is then combined with accelerometer data from impulse tests to infer tip deflection which is then compared to laser vibrometer data (measuring tip deflection) during the same impulse tests. © The Society for Experimental Mechanics, Inc. 2012.