Utilizing Sandwich Structures Within Wind Turbine Blades
Caroline LaQue, Jayne Baran
Mechanical Engineering Technology, College of Engineering, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Utica, NY, USA
As wind energy technologies advance, ensuring that a wind turbine lasts its intended twenty to thirty year lifespan is of great importance. Wind turbine blades are an essential part of this goal. Due to the various loads a blade must withstand, edgewise and flapwise, a strong yet lightweight material is required for the aerodynamic shell. Instead of making the blade shell from a single layer of material, composite material structures referred to as sandwich structures are preferable due to their properties of high strength, damage tolerance and resistance to fatigue.
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