In-situ wind turbine blade inspection using ultrasonic non-destructive testing
Author(s)
Cieslak, Chris
Rivers, Stacey
Childs, Peter
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Offshore and onshore wind turbine blades present significant inspection, maintenance and repair challenges arising from location, economic drivers, environment and the specific blade architecture concerned. In-situ tasks have traditionally been undertaken by people abseiling from the tower or use of gantries. Harsh conditions associated with windy environs, along with pressures to limit downtime, have led to a range of new technologies becoming available. This paper presents results from the use of ultrasonic nondestructive testing (NDT) measurements of subsurface blade topography arising from in situ and static blade inspection for a range of wind turbine types. The measurements have been enabled using a hexapod robot that can accommodate NDT scanners within its chassis and can, using pneumatic suction for the robot pedipulators, navigate the convex, concave, and flexing form of in situ wind turbine blades. The arising NDT tomographic scans provide detailed information on blade integrity, the presence or otherwise of bonding materials, and local feature condition. Measurements, presented over a 600 mm traverse span, have confirmed the reliability of the robotic platform to deliver high-quality, consistent, and reliable data to be acquired with limited NDT experience and to allow subsurface inspections to be performed and analyzed remotely. In addition to detailed measurement of subsurface blade features, the robot system has also demonstrated the capacity to undertake functions such as lightning protection system verification.
Date Issued
2026-05-01
Date Acceptance
2026-01-09
Citation
Journal of Fluids Engineering, Transactions of the ASME, 2026, 148 (5)
ISSN
0098-2202
Publisher
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Fluids Engineering, Transactions of the ASME
Volume
148
Issue
5
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2026 by ASME; reuse license CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
License URL
Source
2025 Turbomachinery Technical Conference & Exposition
Subjects
Engineering
Engineering, Aerospace
Engineering, Mechanical
inspection
LIGHTNING PROTECTION
maintenance
repair
Science & Technology
Technology
turbine
Wind
Publication Status
Published
Start Date
2025-06-16
Finish Date
2025-06-20
Coverage Spatial
TN, Memphis
Article Number
051002
Date Publish Online
2026-02-10