Authors: Research Scholar Rishabh Dev Singh, Associate Professor Dr. Banarsi Pandey
Abstract: The rapid growth of renewable energy systems has increased the demand for efficient and reliable wind turbine technologies capable of operating under complex environmental and loading conditions. Wind turbine blades are continuously subjected to aerodynamic forces, cyclic stresses, vibration and environmental degradation, which significantly influence their structural stability and fatigue life. This study presents a computational investigation of lightweight composite wind turbine blades for enhanced stability and fatigue life using advanced simulation techniques. Lightweight composite materials and optimised blade configurations are considered to improve structural stiffness while reducing blade weight and operational stress concentration, and computational simulations evaluate aerodynamic loading, stress distribution, deformation behaviour, vibration response and fatigue performance under varying wind speed conditions. The performance of the optimised composite blade is compared with conventional blade structures in terms of structural stability, fatigue resistance and aerodynamic efficiency. Twelve studies published between 2000 and 2023 are reviewed and organised into three themes covering blade design with structural optimisation and aerodynamic performance, composite materials with morphing concepts and structural testing, and structural health monitoring with damage detection. The reviewed evidence is consolidated into comparative tables that map each study to its focus, method, principal finding and limitation, alongside an assessment of the damage mechanisms the corpus addresses and the evidence base on which its conclusions rest. Five research gaps are identified and mapped to corresponding research directions. The simulation results demonstrate that lightweight composite blade designs significantly improve fatigue life, reduce deformation and enhance operational reliability while maintaining aerodynamic performance.
