Passively morphing trailing edge design for composite tidal turbine blades

Abstract

Numerical simulations and lab-scale experiments are used to evaluate three passively morphing trailing edge designs for a composite tidal turbine blade. The designs include a closed trailing edge, an open trailing edge, and a corrugated trailing edge. It is shown that geometric stiffness, as well as material stiffness, play key roles in achieving the desired deformation of the trailing edge. One trailing edge design is down-selected for further investigation via full-scale numerical simulations. These simulations demonstrate how the composite lay-up influences the morphing response of the trailing edge and its likelihood of material failure. The influence of camber is also investigated in terms of both material behaviour and hydrodynamic performance. Finally, the potential for bend-twist coupling of the laminate skins is explored.