Automated Wind Turbine Blade Inspection Solution

Publication Details

Abstract

Wind Turbine Blade manufacturing is growing at an accelerating rate. Inspecting these massive objects is challenging and critical for an ever-increasing range of blade models.  Automating the inspection is essential to ensure the checks are done consistently, reliably, and with as small an impact on production rates as possible. LM Wind Power uses a semi-automated inspection process to measure, analyze, and report as-built geometry against nominal CAD models and engineering specifications for a suite of wind turbine blades. They use a laser tracker system with probing and scanning in production facilities. 

Six blade models in different geographical locations/plants have been inspected using the same automated inspection solution (e.g., Measurement Plans). Different metrology systems, data acquisition, and analysis techniques are used to inspect specific dimensional features on different blades. Each blade inspection uses a template file with a spreadsheet with configurable inspection tasks. This enables the quality and production team to select full, intermediate, or daily inspection criteria.

Because the blades are long and are not consistently constrained in the shop, a series of adaptive alignment techniques are used to filter the measurement data to improve the analysis repeatability and operator independence. The metrology systems are moved along the blade at discrete increments to ensure each inspection task is completed. The scripts enable operators with limited metrology experience to use them with integrated real-time error trapping to help/aid operators in correcting discrepancies directly on the shop floor.

The automation techniques, analysis, results, and time-saving estimates for Automated Wind Turbine Blade Inspection solutions are described in this paper.