High reliability of large wind turbines via computational micromechanics based enhancement of wind turbine blade materials performances

The future of wind power is related with the design of very large turbines (8-10MW) standing in wind farms of several hundred MW, both on- and offshore. In this case, the potential costs of repair and replacement of damaged wind turbines will be huge. Thus, the problem of ensuring high reliability of wind turbines becomes especially important for large and extra large turbines. The required reliability
of wind turbines can be ensured by development and use of strong and highly damage resistant advanced materials. The goal of this project is to create a scientific basis for the development of advanced, strong materials for wind blades by optimizing their structures at microlevel. This goal is achieved by carrying out comprehensive materials testing programme (incl. in-situ under electron microscopy) (which allows to clarify the complex damage and degradation mechanisms in wind blade materials), by development of a “virtual laboratory” for the computational testing of different materials for wind blade applications and exploring different ways of modification and optimization
of wind blade materials microstructures (including nanoengineered composites and hierarchical materials) in numerical experiments. Exact methods to predict the lifetime and strength of different blade materials under complex cyclic and environmental loading, as well as recommendations toward the improvement of performances of composites for the wind turbine blades are developed.