Numerical Simulation of the Impact ofIce Accumulation on a Composite Wind Turbine Blades located in a Cold Climate

Abstract : The blades of wind turbines placed in cold climate regions are exposed to the risk of icing phenomena which impact their lifetimes. This paper proposes a numerical model to simulate 50 mm ice thickness localized on the tip side of a horizontal wind turbine blade, and to study its mechanical behavior. The wind turbine blade wasmodeled with the finite element method (FEM)in ABAQUS software taking into account aerodynamic, centrifugal and inertial loads under the conditions of service of the blade.Numerical tests haveevaluated the behavior of different composite materials and compared with each other. Damage mode based on the Hashin criteria was defined. Carbon fibers were considered to be the most rigid material which results in thinner, stiffer and lighter blades.