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Model Updating of Aero-Elastic Spinning Finite Elements for SHM of HAWT Blades
Abstract
As wind energy farms are built in more remote locations, autonomous operation of wind turbines is critical for the future of wind energy production, including a need for comprehensive conditional monitoring. Effective structural health monitoring of turbine blades is made difficult by their complex geometries, nonlinear behavior, stochastic loading, and spinning nature. To overcome these challenges, spinning finite elements have been developed fused with classical stochastic aero-elastic models using a random-vibrations approach to generate probability density functions for structural demand. Along with the distribution of the structural resistance of the turbine blade, these models yield the probability of failure of a blade under a given set of loading conditions. Prior studies have developed and validated the blade models. The present study investigates a modelupdating technique that can be used to characterize the structural demand for a given blade from acceleration data collected during operation. Simulated annealing is used as a search algorithm to update the modal properties and wind excitation parameters upon which the aero-elastic interaction model is based. Results from a 2.5 m turbine are presented.