Effects of aero-elastic blades on a floating offshore turbine subjected to an imposed surge motion

Journal article

This article presents a numerical study of the NREL 5MW rotor equipped with elastic blades subjected to surge motion. An in-house fluid-structure interaction model based on coupled actuator-line method with Timoshenko beam model is presented. Both methods are verified using reference cases from the literature for fixed and surging rotors showing good agreement. Aerodynamic forces on the surging rotor are compared between elastic and rigid blades. In the tip region, the flexible rotor experiences lower forces due to large deflections which reduce local angle of attack. The wake development is also affected by blade structural deformation, although its influence remains limited under the investigated conditions.

Authors: Mascrier, E; de Arcos, FZ; Pinon, G

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: IOP Publishing
• Journal: Journal of Physics: Conference Series
• Volume: 3224
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 042040
• Article number: 042040
• Publication date: 2026-05-01
• DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/3224/4/042040
• EISSN: 1742-6596
• ISSN: 1742-6588
• Language: English