The aim of this study is to reduce the deformation of large horizontal axis wind turbine blades using shape memory alloy (SMA)‐based centrifugal stiffening. A discrete model considering dominant modes of the tower, drive train and blades is developed in this study to demonstrate the performance of the proposed stiffening strategy. Here, super‐elastic behaviour of SMA is characterized by Graesser‐Cozzarelli model. Aerodynamic loads acting on the blades are evaluated using blade element momentum theory. The response is simulated using aerodynamic damping, which is estimated in each mode of vibration. Numerical results presented in this paper clearly show the significance of the proposed SMA‐based stiffening to reduce blade vibration. Sensitivity analysis is also carried out to demonstrate the performance envelop of the proposed stiffening strategy over the operational range of the benchmark 5‐MW wind turbine. The study clearly highlights the performance enhancement in terms of deformation in two orthogonal directions and design in terms of longitudinal stress that ultimately improve the serviceability of the blade.

中文翻译：

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基于形状记忆合金的离心强化，可降低水平轴风力发电机叶片的响应

这项研究的目的是使用基于形状记忆合金（SMA）的离心加劲减少大型水平轴风力涡轮机叶片的变形。在这项研究中，建立了一个考虑塔架，传动系统和叶片主导模式的离散模型，以证明所提出的加固策略的性能。在这里，SMA的超弹性行为由Graesser-Cozzarelli模型表征。使用叶片要素动量理论评估作用在叶片上的空气动力载荷。使用空气动力学阻尼来模拟响应，该阻尼是在每种振动模式下估算的。本文中给出的数值结果清楚地表明了所建议的基于SMA的加强对减少叶片振动的重要性。还进行了敏感性分析，以证明建议的加固策略在基准5兆瓦风力发电机的工作范围内的性能范围。该研究清楚地强调了在两个正交方向上的变形方面的性能增强以及在纵向应力方面的设计，这些特性最终改善了叶片的可维修性。