Abstract
In this paper, the combined effects of natural aging and fatigue loads are considered to assess the residual strength of wind turbine rotor blade composites under actual service environments. Firstly, a comprehensive environmental factor (CEF) methodology is adopted to quantify the combined effects of environmental factors on residual strength. Meanwhile, the artificial accelerated aging test data are used to determine the weight coefficients of the CEF. Subsequently, a two-variable function is presented to characterize the relationship among residual strength, aging time and the CEF. The natural aging test data are utilized to estimate the unknown parameters of the two-variable function. Finally, the combined effects of natural aging and fatigue loads are considered, and a residual strength model is proposed to analyze the strength degradation behaviors of the wind turbine rotor blade composites. The results indicate that fatigue loads have negative effect on the residual strength, while natural aging has both positive and negative effects on the residual strength.
Highlights
Wind energy is one of the most representative renewable energies, which plays an important role in reducing the dependency of human beings on fossil energy
The results indicate that fatigue loads have negative effect on the residual strength, while natural aging has both positive and negative effects on the residual strength
When glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) is exposed to the high-temperature environment, the micro-cracks will gradully appear and in turn degrades the bending strength of GFRP
Summary
Wind energy is one of the most representative renewable energies, which plays an important role in reducing the dependency of human beings on fossil energy. Residual strength affected by natural aging when GFRP is exposed to a specific natural environment for a long period of time, its mechanical properties (such as strength and stiffness) will change over time Under such circumstances, the durability and safety of wind turbine rotor blade will be reduced due to the effects of various environmental factors. The natural aging test data and artificial accelerated aging test data are used to investigate the strength degradation rule of wind turbine rotor blade composites. The test conditions and test results are as follows [14]
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