Gulf Wind Technology has extensive experience conducting UT inspections on wind turbine blade roots, with a particular focus on the LM 62.2 model. We have performed thousands of scans on LM blade roots, including numerous field tests. To validate the accuracy of our UT inspections, we conduct blind quality tests—first identifying defects using UT, then verifying them through composite dissection. This rigorous approach ensures precise defect identification and eliminates false positives. Much of this work is conducted at our Gulf Wind Accelerator (GWA) facility in New Orleans.
Gulf Wind Technology has inspected blade roots with a wide range of damage severity, from early-stage defects to near-catastrophic failures. We have encountered cases where significant gaps formed between the pitch bearing and blade root, leading to turbine shutdowns. While the damage in this particular instance is not the most severe we’ve observed, it exhibits clear signs of progression toward failure—consistent with other cases where blades were taken offline to prevent structural collapse. Our inspections confirm that undetected or unaddressed damage can escalate to critical failure over time.
In our experience, this type of damage leads to root failure, with external cracks appearing in the laminate and through the pultrusions surrounding the bushings. The blade may catastrophically fail overtime.
Typically, failure progresses linearly over 3–24 months before becoming exponential over 6–8 months, potentially leading to full blade failure.
