Motion control solution provider Moog Inc. has helped develop a wind turbine blade testing facility for researchers at the Technical University of Denmark. With partner T A Savery, Moog installed test equipment for three test stands designed to accommodate 15, 25 and 45 m wind turbine blades. The system excites wind turbine blades in two directions at a time, allowing larger blades to be tested more quickly and accurately.

The installation includes a hydraulic power plant and distribution network, six hydraulic winches for static The test stands accommodate 15, 25 and 45 m wind turbine blades. Source: Moogtesting and a combination of eight mass resonance exciters and linear actuator assemblies for dynamic testing. The hydraulic actuator designs selected have been applied and proven in the aircraft industry. A hydraulic manifold mounted on winches allows researchers to angle the equipment depending on a configuration of two, four or six load points.

Dynamic tests on a blade design are supported with a hydraulic system engineered to accommodate wide pressure fluctuations. Researchers can set the hydraulics to meet a very low flow for a static test with winches. These evaluations can be performed to extreme loads with six winches loading a blade at six positions, while pulling the test specimen toward the floor and simulating an extreme wind load experienced in a 100-year storm.

The next step will involve incorporating sensors into wind turbine blades with built-in defects to monitor damage under realistic loads.