Wind Turbine Structure Design

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 1

 Blade design
• Do your research on rotor design: blade
profile, blade number and angle of attack
before going to the lab.
• Finish modeling your blade during the lab
next week
• Make sure your blade is not too thin (less
than 1.5 mm or 1/16 inch), round the sharp
edges and emboss the hub with your section
and group number, S10 G9.
• Your lab instructor will collect the .stl and
part files at the end of the lab period.
Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 2
 Blade edges too thin, Blade with
not rounded rounded edge

Emboss Group
Blade with and section # on
sharp edge the hub

Do not cover the

hole in the hub

First blade modeled with rounded edge,

rounded edges did not copied when array
command created the other two.
Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 3
 Wind Turbine Structure
The Goal (Design objective)
The support structure should be optimized for
weight and stiffness (deflection)
Minimize weight, maximize stiffness (minimize deflection)

Support
Structure

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 4

 Wind Turbine Structure
Hollow tapered tube

Lattice structure

Hollow tube with guy wire

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 5

 Wind Turbine Structure

Structural support

Tube with guy Tripod support

wire and winch

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 6

 Harmful to birds and bats

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 7

 Wind Belt (50 W)

9600 KWh of energy annually

Mariah Power's Windspire

Magnetic Levitation wind-turbine Engineering 10, SJSU 8

Ken Youssefi
Helical wind turbine
 Wind Turbine Structure
World Trade Center
in Bahrain

Three giant wind

turbine provides
15% of the
power needed.

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 9

 Sunbathing on top of a
wind turbine

Sunbathing on top of a 200-ft wind turbine

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 10

 Support structure failure,
New York. Stress at the
base of the support
tower exceeding the
strength of the material

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 11

 Support structure failure,
Denmark. Caused by
high wind

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 12

Blade failure, Illinois.
Failure at the thin
section of the blade

Support structure
failure, UK

Lightning strike,
Germany

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 13

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 14
 Balsa wood

Cardboard
PVC Pipe

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 15

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 16
 X

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 17

 Provided

Motor (generator), 1”
You design diameter

Blades Top plate to support

the motor (wood,
3.5x3.5 inch)

Support structure Bottom plate (wood,

12x12 inch)

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 18

 Spring Stiffness

Δx

Compression Tension
spring spring
F
F

F = k (Δx)
where
k = spring constant
Δ x = spring stretch
F = applied force
Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 19
 Stiffness (Spring)
• Deflection is proportional to load, F = k (∆x)

Load (N or lb)
slope, k

Deflection (mm or in.)

load
k Slope of Load-Deflection curve:
deflection
The “Stiffness”
Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 20
 Stiffness (Solid Bar)
• Stiffness in tension and compression
– Applied Forces F, length L, cross-sectional area, A,
and material property, E (Young’s modulus)

F F A
F
k
End view
L

F F
L δ E is constant for a given material

FL AE E (steel) = 30 x 106 psi

 k E (Al) = 10 x 106 psi
AE L E (concrete) = 3.4 x 103 psi
Elongation
3
(deflection) of Stiffness for components E (Kevlar, plastic) = 19 x 10 psi
the bar in tension-compression E (rubber) = 100 psi
Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 21
 Concept of Area Moment of Inertia

Wind

Deflection of a Cantilever Beam

Support

Fixed end
F = force
L = length

Y = deflection = FL3 / 3EI

Fixed end

Mathematically, the area moment of inertia appears in the denominator

of the deflection equation, therefore;

The higher the area moment of inertia, the less a

structure deflects (higher stiffness)

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 22

 Wind Turbine Tower Stiffness Testing
Dial indicator to
Pulley measure deflection

weights
Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 23
 Tower Stiffness

Note:
Intercept = 0
Stiffness
Force = .6364(deflection)
Default is:
• first column plots on
x axis
• second column plots
on y axis

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 24

 Concept of Area Moment of Inertia
The Area Moment of Inertia is an important parameter in determine
the state of stress in a part (component, structure), the resistance to
bending and buckling, and the amount of deflection in a beam.

The area moment of inertia allows you to tell how stiff

a structure is.
The Area Moment of Inertia, I, is a term used to describe the
capacity of a cross-section (profile) to resist bending. It is always
considered with respect to a reference axis, in the x or y direction.
It is a mathematical property of a section concerned with a
surface area and how that area is distributed about the
reference axis. The reference axis is usually a centroidal axis.

Y = deflection = FL3 / 3EI

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 25
 Moment of Inertia – Comparison
Y = deflection = FL3 / 3EI
1 4”
Load

Maximum distance of
4 inch to the centroid I2

2 x 8 beam
Same load 2
and location
centroidal axis
I1
1”
2”

Maximum distance of 1 inch 2 x 8 beam

to the centroidal axis Stiffer beam

I2 > I1 , orientation 2 deflects less

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 26

 I-Beam and C-Channel

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 27

 Mathematical Equation for Area Moment of Inertia

Ixx = ∑ (Ai) (yi)2 = A1(y1)2 + A2(y2)2 + …..An(yn)2

A (total area) = A1 + A2 + ……..An

Area, A
A2

A1 y2
y1
X X

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 28

 Moment of Inertia Equations for Selected Profiles

Round solid section d Round hollow section do

 (d)4 di
I=
64  [(d )4 – (d )4]
I= o i
64

Rectangular solid section Rectangular hollow section

b
1
I= bh3 h=2 h H
12
b=8 B

1 1
I= BH3 - bh3
1 12 12
I= hb3 b
12

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 29

 Example – Optimization for Weight & Stiffness
Consider a solid rectangular section 2.0 inch wide by 1.0 high. 1.0

I = (1/12)bh3 = (1/12)(2)(1)3 = .1667 , Area = 2 2.0

Now, consider a hollow rectangular section 2.25 inch wide by 1.25 high
by .125 thick. b
B = 2.25, H = 1.25 h H
b = 2.0, h = 1.0
B

I = (1/12)(2.25)(1.25)3 – (1/12)(2)(1)3= .3662 -.1667 = .1995

Area = 2.25x1.25 – 2x1 = .8125
(.1995 - .1667)/(.1667) x 100 = 20% less deflection

Compare the weight of the two parts (same material and length), so
only the cross sectional areas need to be compared.

(2 - .8125)/(2) = .6 = 60% lighter

So, for a slightly larger outside dimension section, 2.25x1.25 instead

of 2 x 1, you can design a beam that is 20% stiffer and 60 % lighter
Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 30
 Stiffness Comparisons for Different sections

Stiffness = slope

Square Box Rectangular Rectangular

Horizontal Vertical
Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 31
 Material and Stiffness
E = Elasticity Module, a measure of material
deformation under a load.
Deflection of a Cantilever Beam
Support
F = force
L = length

Y = deflection = FL3 / 3EI

Fixed end

The higher the value of E, the less a structure

deflects (higher stiffness)

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 32

 Material Strength
Standard Tensile Test Ductile Steel (low carbon)
Standard Specimen

Sy – yield strength
Su – fracture strength

σ (stress) = Load / Area

ε (strain) = (change in length) / (original length)

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10 - SJSU 33

 Common Mechanical Properties
• Yield Strength (Sy) – the
highest stress a material
can withstand and still
return exactly to its original
size when unloaded.

• Ultimate Strength (Su) - the

greatest stress a material can
withstand, fracture stress.

• Modulus of elasticity (E) - the

slope of the straight portion of
the stress-strain curve.
• Ductility - the extent of plastic deformation that a material undergoes
before fracture, measured as a percent elongation of a material.
% elongation = (final length, at fracture – original length) / original length

• Resilience - the capacity of a material to absorb energy within the elastic

zone (area under the stress-strain curve in the elastic zone)

• Toughness - the total capacity of a material to absorb energy without

fracture (total area under the stress-strain curve)
Ken Youssefi Engineering 10 - SJSU
34
 Modules of Elasticity (E) of Materials

Steel is 3 times
stiffer than
Aluminum and
100 times stiffer
than Plastics.

E
Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 35
 Density of Materials

Plastic is 7 times
lighter than steel
and 3 times lighter
than aluminum.

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 36

 Stiffness Testing Apparatus

Successful testers

Ken Youssefi Engineering 10, SJSU 37