Lagos Francisco, Menacer Brahim, Salas Alexis, Narayan Sunny, Medina Carlos, Valle Rodrigo, Garrido César, Pincheira Gonzalo, Oñate Angelo, Hunter-Alarcón Renato, Tuninetti Víctor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco 4811230, Chile.
Master Program in Engineering Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco 4811230, Chile.
Polymers (Basel). 2025 Aug 28;17(17):2339. doi: 10.3390/polym17172339.
Achieving the full potential of wind energy in the global renewable transition depends critically on enhancing the performance and reliability of polymer composite components. This review synthesizes recent advances from 2022 to 2025, including the development of next-generation hybrid composites and the application of high-fidelity computational methods-finite element analysis (FEA), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and fluid-structure interaction (FSI)-to optimize structural integrity and aerodynamic performance. It also explores the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in structural health monitoring (SHM) and the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) systems, which are becoming essential for predictive maintenance and lifecycle management. Special focus is given to harsh offshore environments, where polymer composites must withstand extreme wind and wave conditions. This review further addresses the growing importance of circular economy strategies for managing end-of-life composite blades. While innovations such as the geometric redesign of floating platforms and the aerodynamic refinement of blade components have yielded substantial gains-achieving up to a 30% mass reduction in PLA prototypes-more conservative optimizations of internal geometry configurations in GFRP blades provide only around 7% mass reduction. Nevertheless, persistent challenges related to polymer composite degradation and fatigue under severe weather conditions are driving the adoption of real-time hybrid predictive models. A bibliometric analysis of over 1000 publications confirms more than 25 percent annual growth in research across these interconnected areas. This review serves as a comprehensive reference for engineers and researchers, identifying three strategic frontiers that will shape the future of wind turbine blade technology: advanced composite materials, integrated computational modeling, and scalable recycling solutions.
在全球可再生能源转型中充分发挥风能的潜力,关键取决于提高聚合物复合材料部件的性能和可靠性。本综述综合了2022年至2025年的最新进展,包括下一代混合复合材料的开发以及高保真计算方法——有限元分析(FEA)、计算流体动力学(CFD)和流固耦合(FSI)的应用,以优化结构完整性和空气动力学性能。它还探讨了人工智能(AI)在结构健康监测(SHM)中的变革性作用以及物联网(IoT)系统的集成,这些对于预测性维护和生命周期管理变得至关重要。特别关注恶劣的海上环境,在那里聚合物复合材料必须承受极端的风浪条件。本综述进一步讨论了循环经济战略对于管理报废复合叶片的日益重要性。虽然诸如浮动平台的几何重新设计和叶片部件的空气动力学优化等创新已经取得了显著成效——聚乳酸(PLA)原型实现了高达30%的质量减轻,但玻璃纤维增强塑料(GFRP)叶片内部几何构型的更保守优化仅提供约7%的质量减轻。尽管如此,在恶劣天气条件下与聚合物复合材料降解和疲劳相关的持续挑战正在推动实时混合预测模型的采用。对1000多篇出版物的文献计量分析证实,这些相互关联领域的研究年增长率超过25%。本综述为工程师和研究人员提供了全面的参考,确定了将塑造风力涡轮机叶片技术未来的三个战略前沿:先进复合材料、集成计算建模和可扩展回收解决方案。