Active Robust Control of Elastic Blade Element Containing Magnetorheological Fluid

This research study proposes a new active control structure to suppress vibrations of a small-scale wind turbine blade filled with magnetorheological (MR) fluid and actuated by an electromagnet. The aluminum blade structure is manufactured using the airfoil with SH3055 code number which is designed for use on small wind turbines. An interaction model between MR fluid and the electromagnetic actuator is derived. A norm based multi-objective H₂/H_∞ controller is designed using the model of the elastic blade element. The H₂/H_∞ controller is experimentally realized under the impact and steady state aerodynamic load conditions. The results of experiments show that the MR fluid is effective for suppressing vibrations of the blade structure. (paper)