The Usefulness and Limitations of Ultrasonic Lamb Waves in Preventing the Failure of the Wind Turbine Blades
Source abstract
Abstract
The Lamb waves are named one of the promising solutions for future wind turbine blade (WTB) failure prevention. The compliance with safety assurance of WTBs by detecting structural changes during the manufacture and performing their monitoring during the service life are effective tools for environmental sustainability. This work presents the basic characteristics of Lamb waves and highlights two main unusual limitations—the dispersion and an infinite number of modes—as a great challenge that complicates the application of such waves. This requires the investigation and development of new signal processing methods (SPMs) for conducting accuracy assessments according to the requirements of ISO 17025. The general principles for the accuracy assessment of the signal processing methods applied to evaluate the dispersion of Lamb waves are presented here, and a suitable procedure for estimation of errors and uncertainties is proposed. These should facilitate the verification analysis of any signal processing method used for the dispersion evaluation of Lamb waves. This information allows determining parameters that define the measurement reliability and facilitates the application and utilisation of the proposed methods and their choice. Moreover, it is a necessary prerequisite for setting reliable testing, inspecting, and monitoring standards for WTBs certification.
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Research context
OpenAlex topics: Ultrasonics and Acoustic Wave Propagation · Non-Destructive Testing Techniques · Material Properties and Failure Mechanisms
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Ultrasound Research Institute, Kaunas University of Technology, K. Baršausko St. 59, LT-51423 Kaunas, Lithuania
Metrology Institute, Kaunas University of Technology, Studentų St. 50, LT-51368 Kaunas, Lithuania
Department of Electrical Power Systems, Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Kaunas University of Technology, Studentų˛ St. 48, LT-51367 Kaunas, Lithuania
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kaunas University of Technology, Studentų˛ St. 56, LT-51424 Kaunas, Lithuania
Institute of Environmental Engineering, Kaunas University of Technology, Gedimino St. 50, LT-44239 Kaunas, Lithuania
Funding
Research Foundation of the Research Council of Lithuania
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