Optimization approach for the core structure of a wind turbine blade

The core of the modern lightweight wind turbine blade may be a truss structure based on carbon-fiber rods connected to stiff ribs. A specialized robot manufactures these structures by spatially winding impregnated carbon fibers around pre-positioned ribs with cutouts for securing the fiber bundle. Quantity of the ribs, their positions, and positions of the rods can vary, making this type of blades well-suited for optimization. We present an optimization approach for designing the core of a lightweight wind turbine blade. Our approach involves dividing the task into two stages and utilizing multiple optimization algorithms at each stage. Proposed approach used the FUD, DAJA, and Evolution Strategy algorithms. To test the approach, an existing blade structure with known characteristics was used. Comparison of the resulting design with the original one reveals 53 percent smaller value of objective function. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of applying the proposed approach. New approach allows for the optimization of complex rod with ribs’ structures that cannot be optimized using standard optimization method. This will hopefully result in a significant decrease of wind turbine production cost.