Perfection: The enemy of evolution

Scientists are often trained to seek out the absolute best solution to a given problem. On a chalk board, this might look something like drawing a graph to find a function's minimum or maximum point. When designing a turbojet ...

Extreme testing for rotor blades

Wind turbines are growing bigger and bigger – the diameter of their rotor blades could soon reach 180 meters. But that creates a need for larger test rigs capable of accommodating the blades for load testing. One of ...

NASA Tweaks Tech Toolbox to Capture Tricky Rotor Results

(PhysOrg.com) -- "Smooth" and "quiet" are two words not usually associated with a helicopter ride, but NASA is working to change that. A full-size UH-60A Blackhawk helicopter rotor was the subject of tests the agency's Subsonic ...

Lab helps engineers improve wind power

A laser in Iowa State University's Wind Energy Manufacturing Laboratory scanned layer after layer of the flexible fiberglass fabric used to make wind turbine blades.

On the Crest of Wave Energy

(PhysOrg.com) -- The ocean is a potentially vast source of electric power, yet as engineers test new technologies for capturing it, the devices are plagued by battering storms, limited efficiency, and the need to be tethered ...

Wind turbines may benefit crops

Wind turbines in Midwestern farm fields may be doing more than churning out electricity. The giant turbine blades that generate renewable energy might also help corn and soybean crops stay cooler and dryer, help them fend ...

Intelligently recovering and recycling balsa wood

There are 30,000 wind turbines in operation in Germany, many of which are starting to age. In 2019, 2000 rotor blades had to be discarded; in 2024, this figure will shoot up to 15,000. But where to put these up to 90-meter-long, ...

New device to reduce wind turbine noise and increase efficiency

Noise pollution is a big public concern associated with operating wind turbines. A group of European scientists claims to have found a solution to this problem, assembling an innovative device on the blades. They are collaborating ...

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