Danish Centre for Composites Structures and Materials for Wind Turbines

Some of the most critical components of a wind turbine are the rotor blades, which are usually made of polymer matrix composites and are the largest rotating components of a wind turbine.
Different types of damage can develop at different length scales in wind turbine rotor blades. Therefore, the Danish Centre for Composite Structures and Materials for Wind Turbines (DCCSM) aims to develop a coherent, multiscale-based understanding of the mechanical behaviour of composite materials and structures for wind turbine blades. The length scale goes from nano- and microscale (materials) to product scale (the whole blade, which currently can be more than 60 meters in length), and covers manufacturing, materials design, damage detection, modelling and prediction of damage evolution in wind turbine blades. A coherent multiscale understanding of composite materials and structures will enable full optimisation, viz., optimisation at all length scales.
The Centre aims for the creation of new knowledge (e.g. material models), new experimental methods and new modeling methods. The Centre spans wide thematically and disciplinarily. The specific PhD, Post Doc and research projects funded by DCCSM (Core and Shell activities) are focused at smaller, well-defined topics. Therefore, the Centre will coordinate the research activities in Denmark in the area of composite structures and materials for wind turbines. That includes the Core and Shell activities of DCCSM and research projects that are not funded by the DSF funds but are thematically covered by the Centre. Such projects are called "Crust" projects.
DSF Strategic Research Centre (sags. nr. 09-067212).