Development of a High-fidelity Experimental Substructure Test Rig for Grid-scored Sandwich Panels in Wind Turbine Blades

This paper outlines high-fidelity experimental substructure testing of sandwich panels which constitute the aerodynamic outer shell
of modern wind turbine blades. A full-scale structural experimental and numerical characterisation of a composite wind turbine blade has been
conducted. The development of a full-scale numerical model is detailed, and the necessary experimental set-up is described. Further, the numerical
and experimental results obtained are compared, and an idealised set of boundary conditions for a chosen blade substructure is presented. Fromthis,
the development of a test rig suitable for representing the established loading and boundary conditions is presented, and some preliminary
experimental results are discussed. The work provides a road map for developing high-fidelity experimental substructure tests, which in more
generic terms are applicable to similar developments of substructure tests for composite wind turbine blades. Furthermore, recommendations
on the use of grid-scored sandwich structures in wind turbine blades are presented, which outline the sensitivity in terms of quasi-static strength
to the established loading conditions.