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Characterization Of Oscillatory Response Of Light-Weight Wind Turbine Rotors Under Controlled Gust Pulses, Fernando Ponta, Alayna Farrell, Apurva Baruah, North Yates

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

Given the industry-wide trend of continual increases in the size of utility-scale wind turbines, a point will come where reductions will need to be made in terms of the weight of the turbine’s blades to ensure they can be as long as needed without sacrificing structural stability. One such technique that may be considered is to decrease the material used for the shell and spar cap. While this will solve the weight issue, it creates a new one entirely—less material for the shell and spar cap will in turn create blades that are more flexible than what is currently used. …