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Structural Engineering and Mechanics Volume 28, Number 1, January10 2008, pages 107-127 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12989/sem.2008.28.1.107 |
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On the nonlinear structural analysis of wind turbine blades using reduced degree-of-freedom models |
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K. Holm-J?rgensen, J.W. St?rdahl and S.R.K. Nielsen
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| Abstract | ||
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Wind turbine blades are increasing in magnitude without a proportional increase of stiffness for which reason geometrical and inertial nonlinearities become increasingly important. Often these effects are analysed using a nonlinear truncated expansion in undamped fixed base mode shapes of a blade, modelling geometrical and inertial nonlinear couplings in the fundamental flap and edge direction. The purpose of this article is to examine the applicability of such a reduced-degree-of-freedom model in predicting the nonlinear response and stability of a blade by comparison to a full model based on a nonlinear co-rotating FE formulation. By use of the reduced-degree-of-freedom model it is shown that under strong resonance excitation of the fundamental flap or edge modes, significant energy is transferred to higher modes due to parametric or nonlinear coupling terms, which influence the response and stability conditions. It is demonstrated that the response predicted by such models in some cases becomes instable or chaotic. However, as a consequence of the energy flow the stability is increased and the tendency of chaotic vibrations is reduced as the number of modes are increased. The FE model representing the case of infinitely many included modes, is shown to predict stable and ordered response for all considered parameters. Further, the analysis shows that the reduced-degree-of-freedom model of relatively low order overestimates the response near resonance peaks, which is a consequence of the small number of included modes. The qualitative erratic response and stability prediction of the reduced order models take place at frequencies slightly above normal operation. However, for normal operation of the wind turbine without resonance excitation 4 modes in the reduced-degree-of-freedom model perform acceptable. | ||
| Key Words | ||
| wind turbine blades; nonlinear vibration; bernoulli-euler beam; co-rotating finite elements; truncated modal expansion. | ||
| Address | ||
| K. Holm-J?rgensen, J.W. St?rdahl and S.R.K. Nielsen: Dept. of Civil Engineering, Aalborg University, Sohngaardsholmsvej 57, DK-9000 Aalborg, Denmark | ||