Wind Turbine Rotor Blade Quality Control via Eigenfrequency Analysis
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current quality control methods for wind turbine rotor blades are time-consuming, costly, and limited in detecting manufacturing imperfections, particularly for larger and more slender configurations, which can lead to safety risks during operation.
Innovation Solution
A method involving dynamic loading of the rotor blade to excite vibrations, detecting eigenfrequencies, and comparing them to specifications to evaluate quality, allowing for superior detection of manufacturing deficiencies and reduced risk of blade damage, with a portable support system and automated process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If extensive testing of wind turbine rotor blade prototypes is performed in dedicated test stands, then manufacturing precision and reliability are improved, but productivity and cost are worsened due to time-consuming and costly procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential quality control function from the complex test stand environment and implements it directly at the manufacturing site using portable measurement equipment. This allows eigenfrequency measurement to be performed on individual blades during production without requiring extensive prototype testing facilities, thereby improving productivity while maintaining quality control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical testing system with a portable measurement system that uses sensors and signal processing to determine eigenfrequencies. This substitution eliminates the need for complex mechanical test stands while providing equivalent or superior quality control capabilities, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing precision and productivity.
2Productivity
If quality control is limited to visual inspection and measurement of simple parameters, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision and detection capability are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies mechanical vibration principles by exciting the rotor blade and measuring its eigenfrequency response. This approach enables detection of manufacturing imperfections that are invisible to visual inspection, significantly improving detection capability while maintaining high productivity through rapid measurement at the manufacturing site.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary measurement process that uses vibration excitation and eigenfrequency analysis as a mediator between simple visual inspection and complex test stand procedures. This intermediary approach provides superior detection capability compared to visual inspection alone, while being much faster and more practical for series production.
3Ease of operation
If portable measurement equipment is used at the manufacturing site, then productivity and ease of operation are improved, but measurement precision may be worsened compared to dedicated test stands
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal measurement system that can be deployed at the manufacturing site and used for quality control of individual blades. The system incorporates multiple functions (vibration excitation, signal acquisition, eigenfrequency analysis) in a portable package, achieving measurement precision sufficient for production quality control while maintaining ease of operation and portability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent effectively copies the essential measurement capability of dedicated test stands into a portable system that can be used at the manufacturing site. By replicating the core eigenfrequency measurement function in a simplified, portable form factor, the system achieves adequate measurement precision for quality control purposes while dramatically improving ease of operation and productivity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enables efficient, cost-effective, and precise quality control, reducing the risk of blade damage by detecting otherwise undetected imperfections and allowing for more flexible tolerances in mass and center of gravity, while being applicable to various rotor blade types and easily implementable in series production.
Implementation Method 1
applying a dynamic load to the wind turbine rotor blade while the wind turbine rotor blade is placed on the support in order to excite a vibration of the wind turbine rotor blade
Implementation Method 2
detecting the vibration of the wind turbine rotor blade
Data Source
AI summary
A method is for controlling the quality of a wind turbine rotor blade. The method includes: manufacturing of a wind turbine rotor blade at a manufacturing site, placing the wind turbine rotor blade on a support at the manufacturing site, applying a dynamic load to the wind turbine rotor blade while the wind turbine rotor blade is placed on the support in order to excite a vibration of the wind turbine rotor blade, detecting the vibration of the wind turbine rotor blade, determining an eigenfrequency of the wind turbine rotor blade based on the detected vibration, comparing the determined eigenfrequency with an expected eigenfrequency of the wind turbine rotor blade and evaluating the quality of the wind turbine rotor blade based on the results of the comparison.