Design and Mass Optimization of Numerical Models for Composite Wind Turbine Blades

Abstract

In this paper, a constrained optimization by linear approximation (COBYLA) algorithm is used to optimize the design of a 5 MW wind turbine blade. In the process of blade material modeling, the actual manufacturing conditions are considered, and the load of blades under 50 m/s wind conditions is analyzed based on the blade element momentum (BEM) method. Mass optimization was achieved by removing material from the shear webs. In addition, constraints such as tip displacement, stress, and frequency during blade design were considered. The results show that the mass is reduced by about 1.7% after removing material from blade webs, while the structural response of the blade remains unchanged. This case provides a practical reference for commercial wind turbine blades.

Keywords

• shape optimization
• composite material
• COBYLA algorithms
• wind turbine blades