Passively morphing trailing-edges for load alleviation in tidal turbines

A rigid and a morphing blade with a flap were tested at heave in uniform flow. The flap was located at x/c=0.75 from the leading-edge of the morphing blade. The water flume, where the experiments were carried, is located at Sanderson fluids lab of the University of Edinburgh. Two linear motors were utilised to heave the blades. The blades had a chord of 0.1 m and a span of 0.4 m. They were manufactured with a NACA 0012 profile and tested at Re=50,000. Flow is two dimensional over the blade. Tested cases include those considered significant for a tidal energy regime. Force measurements were taken at reduced frequencies of k=0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 and heaving amplitudes of 2h_0/c = 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 were tested. Particle image velocimetry data (PIV) was recorded at ¾ of the span of the blade with a field of view that includes one chord downstream of the blade. The selected cases for PIV were 2h_0/c = 0.3 at k=0.1, 0.3, 0.5 and 2h_0/c=0.5 at k=0.5. Results are in preparation for a journal manuscript.