Sensors that would be embedded within the composite layers of wind turbine blades to feed back data on the resin-infusion process key to their strength and flexibility, as well as allowing for “factory-to-field” monitoring of parts and components, are being developed by GE with an eye on lower-cost rotor designs.
The project, being led by Nancy Stoffel, a principal engineer with GE Research, the R&D am of the US power technology giant, is built around multidisciplinary team of industrial experts from the fields of composites manufacturing, sensors, electronics, and materials science, as well as from academia.
