Optimization of core groove geometry for the manufacture and operation of composite sandwich structures in wind turbine blades

The design of modern wind turbine blades has scaled up significantly in the past decades. Thus, the need to optimize design and manufacturing practices has become more important for manufacturers to maintain the quality of production and profitability in the competitive modern market. Specifically, the shallow grooves that are cut into sandwich core materials to aid Vacuum-Assisted Resin Infusion (VARI) are a particular feature with an opportunity for optimization in terms of fluid flow performance and resin mass savings. This work focuses on the effect of vacuum infusion channel geometry on fluid flow transport (quantified by an equivalent permeability), and analytically demonstrates how the optimization of aspect ratio for a rectangular cross-section can be beneficial for fluid flow. Channel flow experiments were also used to validate some of the trends observed from parametric analysis, while variations of the optimized channel designs were evaluated and compared in terms of total resin uptake.