To reduce the weight of large wind turbines, structural stiffness is often compromised, leading to local buckling instability and trailing edge structural damage in composite blades under large-scale deformation. To address this issue, this paper introduces an inner rib structure for wind turbine blades to examine its effectiveness in improving resistance to buckling-induced damage. Structural damage response analysis was conducted using the explicit dynamic method under ultimate load conditions at extreme wind speeds and three yaw angles. The results indicate that trailing edge damage in blades is primarily a buckling-driven process, with significant trailing edge buckling occurring only when bending moment loads are applied at specific angles. The support provided by the inner rib in bionic blades localises damage to the transition section, effectively preventing its progression to the blade root section. Under tensile loads, damage concentrates in the trailing edge of the transition section, whereas under compressive loads, damage propagates laterally along the main beam. The buckling resistance of composite layers varies with ply angles, resulting in distinct damage patterns.

wind turbine blades  /  bionic  /  composite materials  /  buckling  /  2D-Hashin criterion