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Design, evaluation, and fabrication of low-cost composite blades for intermediate-size wind turbinesLow cost approaches for production of 60 ft long glass fiber/resin composite rotor blades for the MOD-OA wind turbine were identified and evaluated. The most cost-effective configuration was selected for detailed design. Subelement and subscale specimens were fabricated for testing to confirm physical and mechanical properties of the composite blade materials, to develop and evaluate blade fabrication techniques and processes, and to confirm the structural adequacy of the root end joint. Full-scale blade tooling was constructed and a partial blade for tool and process tryout was built. Then two full scale blades were fabricated and delivered to NASA-LeRC for installation on a MOD-OA wind turbine at Clayton, New Mexico for operational testing. Each blade was 60 ft. long with 4.5 ft. chord at root end and 2575 lbs weight including metal hub adapter. The selected blade configuration was a three cell design constructed using a resin impregnated glass fiber tape winding process that allows rapid wrapping of primarily axially oriented fibers onto a tapered mandrel, with tapered wall thickness. The ring winder/transverse filament tape process combination was used for the first time on this program to produce entire rotor blade structures. This approach permitted the complete blade to be wound on stationary mandrels, an improvement which alleviated some of the tooling and process problems encountered on previous composite blade programs.
Document ID
19820010819
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Contractor Report (CR)
Authors
Weingart, O. (Structural Composites Industries, Inc. Azusa, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
September 4, 2013
Publication Date
September 1, 1981
Subject Category
Energy Production And Conversion
Report/Patent Number
SCI-81520
NASA-CR-165342
DOE/NASA/0100-1
Accession Number
82N18693
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: DEN3-100
PROJECT: RTOP 776-33-41
CONTRACT_GRANT: DE-AI01-79ET-20320
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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