As the size of wind turbines whose blades will soon exceed the 100 m mark and generate power of up to 8 MW, the question of the material (composites) and its strength is an ongoing issue. The Danish Test Center BLAEST in Aalborg has specialized in the testing of components of wind turbines.
The test center BLAEST, owned by the leading wind technology institutes Force Technology, Technical University of Denmark (DTU – Risø) and Det Norske Veritas DNV Germanischer Lloyd – GL operates several test stands for strength and fatigue testing of rotor blades.
The prototype of each rotor blade has to be tested before approval, and series production on its strength. These tests are carried out in accordance with IEC 61400-23. BLAEST is certified for the complete test.
Read on this topic, our cover story in the issue 03/2016 of the journal mpa here!
More articles
Wendelstein 7-X Stellarator
After 9 years in construction, the stellarator (nuclear-fusion machine) of the Max Planck Institute in Greifswald generated plasma for the first time on December 10, 2015. The reactor had been gradually ramped up over the past 12 months. The event was given extensive coverage in the media. Gantner Instruments specially developed sensors for temperature and strain measurement for the project, which are otherwise unavailable on the market.
Read more...Historic Ship, Modern Protection: Real-Time Force Monitoring Stabilizes Sweden’s Vasa Warship
The Vasa Museum in Stockholm houses Vasa, a 17th-century Swedish warship raised from the seabed in 1961. Almost completely preserved, she is both a cultural icon and a full-scale research platform for naval architecture, materials science, and maritime archaeology. But preserving a 400-year-old oak hull on land poses a critical structural challenge: without buoyancy, the ship’s weight is carried through discrete support points, and slow deformation has already been detected. To protect Vasa for future generations, the museum is replacing the original display cradle with an adjustable steel support system equipped with a real-time force monitoring and long-term structural health monitoring (SHM) solution.
Read more...Q.series X A101 SV: Universal Measurement Module with Sensor Supply
The Q.series X A101 2 x DB15HD SV module from Gantner Instruments is a precisely engineered multi-functional measurement module that seamlessly integrates into a variety of industrial applications. With 2 universal analog inputs and a programmable sensor supply voltage and current limit, this module is crafted to provide precise and reliable data across a spectrum of measurement needs.
Read more...Boeing 777X folding wingtip
Boeing is looking to debut a new and ambitious aircraft in 2020: the 777X, a dual-aisle, twin-engine aircraft that is built around fuel efficiency. The aircraft is designed to use 12% less fuel than any competing aircraft and 20% less fuel than today’s 777.
Read more...