Delamination is detrimental to the composite materials, and it may occur in the manufacturing process of the unidirectional laminate of the spar cap in wind turbine blades. This paper studies the effect of different delamination defects on the strength of the unidirectional laminate. The finite element model of laminate with different delamination areas and delamination heights is established using solid elements. The eigenvalues of laminates have different parameters calculated based on the finite element method. The final coupon test is used to verify the conclusions of simulation results. The finite element method presented in this study shows excellent capabilities to predict the buckling behavior of the laminate. The buckling eigenvalue of tested laminate is negatively correlated with the delamination area and positively correlated with the delamination height under the edgewise load. The S11, which is too high at the boundary of the delamination region, plays a significant role in buckling failure. It has a particular reference value for testing the laminate of blade both in theory and practice.
Efficient method for the computation of lightning current distributions in wind turbine blades using the Fourier transform and the finite element method