Structural analysis of an offshore vertical axis wind turbine composite blade experiencing an extreme wind load

Abstract

The vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) configuration has many advantages for an offshore wind turbine installation. The VAWT is omnidirectional and its rotating mechanical components can be placed close to sea level. In this paper, the structural analysis of a VAWT blade structure subject to a critical load case was investigated with two methods, an analytical model and a finite element (FE) model. It was shown that the utilisation of a composite blade topology can resist the induced flapwise loading and the material strains were contained within their allowable limits. The analytical approach was demonstrated to be a quick and accurate technique to compute the composite blade strain distribution when compared to the FE model results.