Kingston, Ontario requires a large reliable source of electricity. A wind turbine blade should be designed to intake the maximum amount of wind energy available in the Wolfe Island Wind farm and convert it into electrical energy. The blade must be durable to withstand harsh weather conditions and withstand wind speeds of at least 50-60km/hr. The blades must also minimize inertia while spinning at a minimum wind speed of 12-14km/hr to maximize efficiency.
Figure 1. Wolfe Island Wind Farm
Figure 2. Final sketch for specific blade design
Figure 3. Final Gantt Chart (September 26th 2023 - November 2nd 2023)
Together as a team, we determined the function and constraints relative to our blade design.
This allowed us to narrow our focus and design a blade best suited for our specific scenario.
We were able to prioritize efficiency and longevity for our blade and disregard objectives such as cost and transportation.
Figure 4. Scenario-specific Objective Tree
Figure 5. Top five materials selected from Granta based on Young’s modulus and density
Using our criteria, we decided to test multiple materials using Granta and decided on CFRP (Carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers) as it best suited our objectives.
CFRP proved to be extremely durable and lightweight, helping it minimize inertia and increase durability.
Figure 6. The top five materials ranked
Figure 7. Weighted decision matrix
Using our chosen material, we ran multiple stress analysis simulations on Inventor at varying thickness levels with a pressure load of 0.003 MPA to determine which thickness would yield the desired maximum deflection between 8.5 mm and 10 mm.
We determined that a thickness of 55 mm provided a maximum deflection of 9.5 mm which was within our desired range.
Figure 8. Stress analysis simulation from Inventor