Structural Strength Analysis and Fabrication of a Straight Blade of an H-Darrieus Wind Turbine

Abstract

Small H-Darrieus wind turbines have become popular in the wind power market because of their many advantages, which include simplicity of design, low construction costs, and they are thought to represent an adequate solution even in unconventional installation regions. The blade is generally considered as the most important component of the wind turbine system because it controls the efficiency of the turbine. The blade structure must be designed to support the difficult environmental conditions (e.g., wind, and snow) encountered during the operational life of the wind turbine. This current study uses three-dimensional (3D) modeling and structural strength analysis to fabricate two straight blades (aluminum and galvanized steel) for a small H-Darrieus wind turbine. The 3D modeling of the blade structure is performed using SolidWorks, a computer-aided design (CAD) software package, and the structural strength analysis uses the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) technique to identify the stiffness, resistance, and reliability of the blade structure. The simulation results obtained indicate that no structural failures are predicted for either of the two structures tested because the factors of safety are larger than one, and the all maximum deflections are within the allowable deformation limits for the materials. Manufacturing processes for the two structures are described.