Wind Turbine Failures during its service life
The main damages during the lifetime of a wind turbine are caused by:
- general wear and tear,
- fatigue loads;
- electrical failure;
- environmental conditions
General Wear
Delamination can happen in wind blades, where a detachment of the intra and extrados shells
can be seen. Usually associated with leading edge erosion.
Fatigue Loads
It is the phenomenon of progressive rupture of materials subjected to repeated cycles of stress or deformation. A failure in the steel tower can be associated, for example, with an unbalance of the 3 rotor blades.
Electrical Failures
An electrical failure in the wind turbine components can cause the turbine to fire.
Lightning
Damage from lightning strikes, ice, strong wind, rain, hail, waves and temperature
differences are common to occur in wind turbines.
Juliana Lucena, Dr. in Energy (UFPE), Production Engineer (USP), Professor at the Federal Network
