Work

Research on the Adhesive Strength of Different Bonding Structures for Modular Wind Turbine Blades

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: To address the manufacturing and transportation challenges of large wind turbine blades, adhesive joints in modular blades have become a research focus. This study investigates six typical adhesive joint configurations for CFRP laminates using quasi-static three-point bending experiments and cohesive-zone finite element simulations. The adhesive interface is modeled with a bilinear traction–separation law using zero-thickness cohesive elements to capture damage initiation and propagation. Among the six designs, the double-slope joint exhibits the best static performance, achieving the highest peak load of 1017.26 N and showing delayed damage evolution. The superiority of the double-slope design is further examined at the blade level via a numerical cantilever model of equal-section modular blade segments under flapwise and edgewise loading. The predicted peak loads reach 9.82 × 107 N (flapwise) and 5.51 × 107 N (edgewise), ranking the double-slope joint highest among the investigated configurations. The findings show that the double-slope joint improves load capacity and resistance to degradation, and reveal failure mechanisms of adhesive joints, providing theoretical support for blade structural design.

Source: Materials

DOI: 10.3390/ma19040735

Authors: Junpeng Yang, Afang Jin, Junhan Li, Fengrong Li

Institution: Xinjiang University

Language: English

Topic: Mechanical Behavior of Composites

Subfield: Mechanics of Materials

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137

Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China