Structural Modal analysis of Wind Turbine blade

Why we do Modal Analysis ?

• Through Modal analysis we looks for the natural frequency of structures.

• By knowing the natural frequencies, we can design our structure in certain safe ranges to avoid

resonance failure.

• Modal analysis tells us how the structure will behave under various loads.

• Natural frequencies and there respective mode shapes are structures property, they are independent

of loads.

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 Assumptions Made While doing Modal Analysis

• Structure is linear, and whose dynamic behaviour can be described by a model

represented by a set of second order ODEs
• Structure obeys Maxwell’s reciprocity
• Structure is time Invariant

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Two degree of freedom system without damping.

4
Equation of motion two degree of freedom system without damping.
••
  𝑚 1 𝑥 1=− 𝑘 1 𝑥1 − 𝑘 2 ( 𝑥 1 − 𝑥 2 )
••
𝑚 2 𝑥2 =𝑘 2 ( 𝑥2 − 𝑥 1 )
••

¿
𝑚1
0[ 0
𝑚2 ][
𝑥1
••
𝑥2 ][ +

••
𝑘 1+ 𝑘 2
− 𝑘2
− 𝑘2
𝑘2
𝑥1
][ ]
𝑥2
=0

[ ]
¿ [ 𝑀 ] 𝑋 + [ 𝐾 ] [ 𝑋 ] =0
¿ 𝑋 ( 0) = 𝑋0
•
¿ 𝑋 ( 0 ) =𝑉 𝑜

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 Solution
  
 M  X   K  X   0
      x t  K x t  0
M   2

Assume Simple Harmonic Motion

 K    2  M   x  t   0
x  t   X sin(t   )


x   X sin(t   )
2 det  K    2  M    0 Characteristic Equation


x   2  x  t 

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 Solution
Assume k1  3 k 2  2 and m1  2, m2  1
2 x1   2  12  x2  0

 5 2  1 0
K  M 
2  2 1
 2  0  x1 
2
 2  12  x2

 K  2  M  0
x2  1 and 12  0.8138  x1  0.593
5   2 2 
 0
 2 2  2 2 
 0.593
 1   Mode shape 1
 
2 4  9 2  6  0

9 33 rad
Similarly for 2
1
2
  1  0.9021
4 s
 0.843
9 33 rad    Mode shape 2
2   2  1.9199  1 
4 s

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 Properties of material

Young’s Modulus
E  2.2  10 Pa
10

Density of Material kg
  1700 3
m
Poison’s Ratio   0.15
 Boundary Condition

• There is only one boundary condition used, which is blade fixed at one end, all other
loads are dropped because natural frequencies are property of Structures.
Cantilever Beam Modal Analysis
Length 43.2 m
Width 0.5 m
Depth 0.5 m
First Three Modes
 Analytical Solution
2   4.6942  F
1  1.875 F
2

2.2 10   0.5 

10 2
Eh 2 2.2  1010   0.52 
Eh 2 F 
F  12  L 12  1700   43.24 
12  1700   43.2 4 
4
12  L4

F  0.2782226 F  0.2782226

1  1.875  0.2782226
2 2  4.6942  0.2782226
rad
1  0.97814 2  6.13025
s
1
f1  1
2 f2 
2
f1  0.1555675 Hz f 2  0.975660 Hz
 Solution Cont.
3   7.8552  F

Eh 2 2.2  1010   0.52 

F  
12  L 12  1700   43.2 4 
4

F  0.2782226
3  7.8552  0.2782226
rad
3  17.166619
s
1
f3 
2
f 3  2.732152 Hz
 Comparison between Analytical and Numerical Solution
Natural Frequencies Analytical Numerical(Ansys)

First
0.1555675Hz 0.1557Hz

Second
0.975660 Hz 0.97521Hz

Third 2.732152 Hz 2.7281Hz

 Is Every Natural Frequency equally Important?

• For any structure there can be thousands of DOF and same number of natural

frequencies

• How to determine the number of modes to extract?

• How to find the most important modes?

• In modal analysis we have two scalars, Mode Participation Factor and Effective Mass.

• These scalars measure amount of mass moving in each direction for each mode.

• Higher value of these values indicates mode will be excited by excitations in that

direction.
 Mode Participation Factor and effective mass

 Participation factor and effective mass gives an idea how the design will respond to different types

of loading.

 Participation factor measures the amount of mass moving in each direction for each mode.

 High value of participation factor in a direction indicates that mode will be excited when the

structure is loaded in that particular direction.

 Effective mass is measure of how much mass is associated with each mode.

 The Ratio of effective mass to the total mass can be useful to determine if enough modes have

been extracted.
 GE 1.5 XLE wind turbine blade

Length of the Blade 43.2 m

Rated Power 1.5MW

Rated Wind Speed 11.5m/s

Rotor Diameter 82.5

Blade Geometry
Mesh
Meshing Method Face Meshing

Nodes 4788

Elements 4951
Mode Shapes corresponding to natural Frequencies
Mode Shapes 1
Mode Shapes 2
Mode Shapes 3
 First 10 natural Frequencies
Size of Element 0.3 Size of Element 0.25 Size of Element 0.2

1. 1.1049 1.1197 1.1141 Hz

2. 1.4027 1.4381 1.5806 Hz

3. 3.627 3.5748 3.8131 Hz

4. 5.0506 5.0761 5.3044 Hz

5 6.1854 6.049 6.412 Hz

6. 7.5666 7.3897 7.7808 Hz

7. 8.6295 8.4506 9.3246 Hz

8. 10.081 9.9948 10.429 Hz

9. 10.619 10.476 10.904 Hz

10 11.692 11.577 11.906 Hz

End of the Session -

Next Session: Harmonic Analysis

Thank You