ACOUSTIC
EMISSION & NDT SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS
Non-Destructive Testing
of Full Scale W/T Blade by Means of Acoustic Emission
Monitoring During Controlled Static Loading
“Wind Energy for the Next Millennium”, proceedings of 1999
European Wind Energy Conference, March 1-5, 1999, Acropolis
Convention Centre, Nice, France, pp 691-694
Pantelis Vionis, Dr.
Athanasios Anastasopoulos, Vassilios Kolovos, Dimitrios
Kouroussis
Acoustic Emission
(AE) monitoring techniques were used during full-scale testing of a
12 m long wind turbine blade at CRES Full Scale Blade Testing
Laboratory. AE data were recorded in real time by a ten-channel AE
system. The loading envelope included static stepwise loading of
the blade in its flapwise direction as well as unload-reload cycles
and load hold periods. The AE measurements were complemented by
usual mechanical measurements such as load and strain distribution
along the blade. AE data processing included data filtering and
application of the various location techniques. The intensity of AE
sources/events during the various loading stages was characterised
by means of statistical techniques. The results of the static tests
revealed damage initiation and weak zones on the blade with high AE
activity, which were further verified by visual inspection during
subsequent testing.