Part 1: Rapid testing of blade bearings – but how? Back in 2013, the Fraunhofer IWES was still only a fairly small Fraunhofer institute and many of the test benches which would later shape the image of the institute were…

Predicting the fatigue lifetime of rotor blade bearings is a particularly difficult task as the use of existing calculation methods requires a comprehensive understanding of the systems and the methods are scarcely validated for the unique blade bearings with their extraordinary load situations.

The operating conditions for rotor blade bearings of wind turbines differ significantly from most industrial applications. At Fraunhofer IWES, this has led to the development of the world’s most comprehensive testing technology for blade bearings.An interview with Christian Broer Christian,…

Authors: Dr. Eng. Mareike Leimeister, Dipl.-Ing. Philipp Thomas Compared with conventional offshore wind turbines, “floaters” open up enormous wind energy potential, as they allow development of so many offshore locations in deep waters. The Fraunhofer IWES has been developing a…

The New European Wind Atlas (NEWA) has been available for over a year now. The result of an ambitious project is being closely followed by both the scientific community and the wind industry. The first anniversary of NEWA should be seized…

Getting to grips with research: The time my research project involved a hammer and screwdriver – a somewhat different kind of experience report. As a research associate at the Fraunhofer IWES, my day-to-day work involves the simulation of large rolling…