EXCITER DEVICE AND METHOD FOR FATIGUE TESTING OF A BLADE OF A WIND TURBINE

Abstract

Provided is an exciter device for fatigue testing of a blade of a wind turbine, including a actuator for generating a periodic excitation force and a coupling device for coupling the actuator to a blade to be tested. The exciter device includes a pretensioning device applying a pretension such that the excitation force only acts in a pulling or pushing direction over the whole period.

Claims

1. Exciter device (1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f) for fatigue testing of a blade (2) of a wind turbine, comprising an actuator, in particular a motor (3), for generating a periodic excitation force and a coupling device (6) for coupling the actuator to a blade (2) to be tested, characterised in that the exciter device (1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f) comprises a pretensioning device (13) applying a pretension such that the excitation force only acts in a pulling or pushing direction over the whole period.

2. Exciter device (1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f) according to claim 1, characterised in that the exciter device (1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f) further comprises a control device (4), the control device (4) being configured to control the actuator to generate the periodic excitation force for the blade (2) having a predetermined frequency, in particular calculated from an eigenfrequency of the blade (2) and/or depending on a coupling point of the blade (2).

3. Exciter device (1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the coupling device (6) comprises a gearbox (8).

4. Exciter device (1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the coupling device (6) comprises: a transfer device (10) for mounting to the blade (2) to transfer the excitation force to the blade (2), a pulley (11) mounted to a actuator shaft of the actuator, and a flexible coupling element (12) for coupling the pulley (11) to the transfer device (10), the pulley (11) being configured to wind the wire to transfer the excitation force, wherein the coupling element (12) is pretensioned by the pretensioning device (13).

5. Exciter device (1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f) according to claim 4, characterised in that the actuator is a three-phase induction motor (3) and/or the coupling element (12) is chosen from the group comprising a steel wire (18), a rope, a belt and a fiber.

6. Exciter device (1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f) according to claim 4 or 5, characterised in that the pretensioning device (13) comprises a spring (26) or a mass (20) or piston, wherein the pretension is applied by using a flexible pretensioning element (17) fixed to the pulley (11).

7. Exciter device (1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f) according to claim 6, characterised in that the spring (26) is attached to the pretensioning element (17) and a counter-bearing or that the freely suspended mass (20) is attached to the pretensioning element (17).

8. Exciter device (1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f) according to claim 7, characterised in that the counter-bearing comprises the coupling element (12) and/or an attachment means (25) for the coupling element (12) and/or the transfer device (10) is used as the counter-bearing.

9. Exciter device (1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f) according to any of the claims 4 to 8, characterised in that the pretensioning device (13) comprises the actuator applying at least a part of the pretension, in particular using the control device (4) to accordingly control the actuator.

10. Exciter device (1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f) according to one of the claims 4 to 9, characterised in that the transfer device (10) comprises a yoke (24) and/or a sling (27) to be slung around the blade (2).

11. Exciter device (1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f) according to one of the claims 4 to 10, characterised in that the coupling element (12) is attached to the transfer device (10) by an attachment means (25), comprising at least one through-hole for fixing the coupling element (12).

12. Exciter device (1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f) according to claim 11, characterised in that, if the transfer device (10) comprises a sling (27) according to claim 10, the attachment means (25) comprises an additional through-hole for the sling.

13. Exciter device (1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises a load cell (7), in particular connected to the control device (4).

14. Method for fatigue testing of a blade (2) of a wind turbine, wherein a periodic excitation force is generated by an actuator, in particular a motor (3), and applied to the blade (2) by a coupling device (6) for coupling the actuator to the blade (2), characterised in that a pretension is applied to the blade (2) such that the excitation force only acts in a pulling or pushing direction over the whole period.

15. Method according to claim 14, characterised in that an exciter device (1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f) according to any of the claims 1 to 13 is used.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

[0037] Some of the embodiments will be described in detail, with references to the following Figures, wherein like designations denote like members, wherein:

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a principle drawing of an exciter device;

[0039] FIG. 2 is a graph showing a conventionally applied excitation force and an excitation force applied;

[0040] FIG. 3 shows a first embodiment of an exciter device;

[0041] FIG. 4 shows a detail regarding the first embodiment;

[0042] FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of an exciter device;

[0043] FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment of an exciter device;

[0044] FIG. 7 shows a fourth embodiment of an exciter device;

[0045] FIG. 8 shows a fifth embodiment of an exciter device; and

[0046] FIG. 9 shows a sixth embodiment of an exciter device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] FIG. 1 shows the general structure of an exciter device 1 according to embodiments of the current invention. The exciter device 1 is to be used for fatigue testing a blade 2 by exerting a periodic, in this case sinusoidal, excitation force on the blade at a certain position along the blade 2. To generate this excitation force, the exciter device 1 generally comprises as an actuator a motor 3, in this case a three-phase induction motor, which is controlled by a control device 4. The motor 3, outputting a certain torque at a motor shaft 5, is coupled to the blade 2 using a coupling device generally indicated at 6. The coupling device 6 generally comprises at least one load cell 7 measuring the actual excitation force, wherein the corresponding measurement data is applied to the control device 4, enabling feedback control.

[0048] Since the motor 3 outputs a relatively low torque at relatively high rotation speed (rpm), this output is to be converted to a certain applied pulling speed/force on the blade by a conversion means. Regarding embodiments of the current invention, two options exist.

[0049] In a first embodiment, which is less preferred, a gearbox 8 is used, whose output shaft supplies a higher output torque to a mechanical arrangement 9 comprising an exciter arm and a pushrod (which, in this case, may be more suitably termed pullrod). The latter is attached to the blade 2 using a transfer device 10, in this less preferred embodiment a yoke or generally a clamp.

[0050] In a preferred second option, a pulley 11 is attached to the motor shaft 5, to which a flexible coupling element 12, for example a steel wire, a rope or a belt, is fixed. The other end of the flexible coupling element is attached to the transfer device 10 via an attachment means comprising the load cell 7.

[0051] Essential for the feasibility of the second option is a pretensioning device 13, which acts at least on the motor shaft 5, providing a pretension such that the excitation force only acts in a pulling direction over the whole period of the sinusoidal wave form. In other words, the pretension can be understood as an offset for the periodic excitation force, such that the periodic excitation force never changes sign.

[0052] This is illustrated in the graph of FIG. 2, wherein the excitation force (in kN) is plotted against time. The curve 14 shows an excitation force generated by a conventional exciter device according to the state of the art. As can be seen, the sinusoidal excitation force oscillates essentially around zero, resulting in an alternating push-and-pull-operation on the blade. The curve 15, however, shows a sinusoidal excitation force generated by an exciter device 1 according to embodiments of the invention. As can be seen, the pretension provided by the pretensioning device 13 acts as an offset 16 such that the sign of the excitation force is always “plus”, resulting in the excitation force only applying in the pulling direction. In this manner, when using a gearbox 8, no gearbox reversals occur, while, in preferred embodiment, when using the flexible coupling element 12 fixed to the pulley 11, this construction becomes feasible.

[0053] The following figures show concrete embodiments of an exciter device 1 according to the invention.

[0054] FIG. 3 shows a first embodiment of an exciter device 1a. In this embodiment, and in the following embodiments, steel wires will be exemplarily used as the flexible coupling element 12 and the flexible pretensioning element 17, where applicable. As can be seen, in the first concrete embodiment, the steel wire 18 is fixed to the pulley 11 such that the reversingly operated motor 3 acts to wind and unwind the steel wire 18 from the pully 11. The pretensioning device 13 comprises a freely suspended mass 20 fixed to another steel wire 19 acting as a flexible pretensioning element 17. The steel wire 19 is also fixed to the pulley 11, providing the pretension to the pulley 11, the motor shaft and the coupling element 12, that is, the steel wire 18, keeping it pretensioned. The pulley 11 may provide tracks for both steel wires 18, 19.

[0055] FIG. 4 shows the use of an additional pulley 21 for the steel wire 19, for example, to place the freely suspended mass 20 horizontally beneath the motor 3.

[0056] Returning to FIG. 3, also the blade 2 to be tested is shown in greater extent. The blade root is securely fixed in a concrete block 22. The blade 2 is received by the transfer device 10 at a certain position, such that the exerted excitation force may cause the blade to oscillate as indicated by arrows 23.

[0057] FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of an exciter device 1b according to the invention. In this case, the transfer device 10 comprises a wooden yoke 24 in which the blade 2 to be tested is received. The steel wire 18 acting as flexible coupling element 12 is attached to the yoke 24 by an attachment means 25 having a through-hole for attachment of the steel wire 18 and also comprising the load cell 7. Please note that the load cell 7 may be integrated into the attachment means 25 also in each of the other embodiments, although this will not be shown for reasons of clarity and comprehensibility.

[0058] The pretension device 13 in this embodiment comprises, again, a steel wire 19 as a pretensioning element, into which a spring 26 is integrated. The steel wire 19 is fixed to the steel wire 18 close to the attachment means 25, such that the pretensioning force results.

[0059] FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment of an exciter device 1c according to the invention, which differs from the embodiment of FIG. 5 in that the transfer device 10 comprises a sling 27 slung around the blade 2. The sling 27 may, for example, pass through another through-hole of the attachment means 25. Additionally, the steel rope 19, in this case, is also fixed to the attachment means.

[0060] FIG. 7 shows a fourth embodiment of an exciter device 1d according to the current invention. In this embodiment, which uses the wooden yoke 24, the motor 3 itself forms part of the pretensioning device 13, since it provides the pretension itself as an electrical torque, in particular controlled by the control device 4. This embodiment of the pretensioning device 13 may also be combined with other concrete realizations of the pretensioning device 13; Additionally, instead of the wooded yoke 24, also other transfer devices 10 may be used, for example the sling 27.

[0061] A further, fifth embodiment of an exciter device 1e according to the invention is shown in FIG. 8. In this variant, the spring 26 uses a concrete block 28 as a counter-bearing to provide the pretension.

[0062] As the sixth embodiment of an exciter device if according to the invention in FIG. 9 shows, again, also a sling 27 may be used as part of the transfer device 10.

[0063] Although the present invention has been disclosed in the form of preferred embodiments and variations thereon, it will be understood that numerous additional modifications and variations could be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0064] For the sake of clarity, it is to be understood that the use of “a” or “an” throughout this application does not exclude a plurality, and “comprising” does not exclude other steps or elements.