Advanced Non-Destructive Testing of Blade Manufacturing Defects

风力涡轮机叶片是风力涡轮机中最昂贵、最复杂的部件之一。现在叶片的长度接近100米，使用碳和/或玻璃纤维增强塑料复合材料制造。无损检测（NDT）方法用于识别缺陷，以降低运行维护成本和延长使用寿命。超声波检测技术是最合适的无损检测方法，通常由训练有素的无损检测专家进行数据/图像分析。航空航天工业现在采用改进的非接触式扫描方法，再加上检测算法和机器学习技术。将类似的方法应用于大型风力涡轮机叶片，将使检查更有效、成本更低，从而为清洁能源生产带来总体效益。综述了目前复合材料的超声无损检测技术，并确定了最适用于风力工业的技术。这些将在由工业合作伙伴西门子歌美飒可再生能源公司提供的小叶片样品上进行测试。在此基础上，工艺将扩大规模，目的是开发成熟的全自动检测和图像分析技术，用于大规模叶片制造。

Wind turbine blades are one of the most costly and complicated components of the wind turbine. Blades are now approaching 100m in length and are manufactured using carbon and/or glass fibre reinforced plastic composites. Non-destructive testing (NDT) methods are utilized to identify defects so to reduce operational maintenance costs and extend lifetimes.Ultrasonic testing techniques are the most suitable NDT method with the data/image analysis typically performed by trained NDT experts. The aerospace industry now employs improved, contactless scanning methods, coupled with detection algorithms and machine-learning techniques. The application of similar methods to large wind turbine blades will enable more efficient and cost-effective inspections resulting in overall benefits for clean energy production. A review of current ultrasonic NDT techniques for composite materials will be conducted and the most applicable for the wind industry identified. These will be tested on small blade samples, provided by industrial partner Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. Following on from this, processes are to be up-scaled with the aim of developing mature and fully automated inspection, and image analysis, techniques used in large-scale blade manufacturing.