Large wind turbine structural load control: trailing edge deformation mechanism for active variable-camber blade

Blade root fatigue stress, primarily resulting from wind shear and turbulence, is a critical factor in wind turbine design. Blade mounted aerodynamic control devices have been shown to have the potential to reduce this. However, limited research exists into suitable devices. The blade designed in this work addresses this by employing an actuated compliant mechanism, contained within a flexible matrix composite structure. The resulting mechanism design achieves a sectional change in lift coefficient of ΔCL + 0.4 to -0.15. The performance of the blade is analysed with a quasi-steady time marching BEM model. A reduction of 21.59% in the standard deviation of the flap-wise bending moment comparable to previous load control investigations has been achieved.