Apex Wind articles https://apexwind.dk/articles Weekly articles on wind turbine blades from an independent blade engineering consultancy. en-gb Wind turbine blade inspection checklist: what to check, how, and what each finding means https://apexwind.dk/articles/blade-inspection-checklist https://apexwind.dk/articles/blade-inspection-checklist Wed, 14 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT A working blade inspection checklist for external, internal, root and post-event inspections, with the method for each item and what the finding means for the repair decision. When does blade damage require repair? Damage categories and the decision behind them https://apexwind.dk/articles/when-does-blade-damage-require-repair https://apexwind.dk/articles/when-does-blade-damage-require-repair Tue, 13 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT How blade damage categories work, when damage is cosmetic, when it is structural, and how owners and insurers decide between repair now, repair at the next campaign and monitor. Erosion, lightning or a bond line crack? How to distinguish blade damage types https://apexwind.dk/articles/distinguish-blade-damage-types https://apexwind.dk/articles/distinguish-blade-damage-types Mon, 12 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT How to tell blade damage types apart from an inspection image: erosion against coating failure, lightning against impact, bond line cracks against laminate cracks, and defect against repair. Trailing edge cracks: what causes them, how they are diagnosed, and when they are structural https://apexwind.dk/articles/trailing-edge-crack-diagnosis https://apexwind.dk/articles/trailing-edge-crack-diagnosis Sun, 11 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT Trailing edge cracks are the most common structural finding on wind turbine blades. What causes them, how to diagnose one from an inspection, and when the crack stops being a repair item. Lightning damage to wind turbine blades: diagnosis, receptor testing and what IEC 61400-24 requires https://apexwind.dk/articles/lightning-damage-blade-diagnosis https://apexwind.dk/articles/lightning-damage-blade-diagnosis Sat, 10 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT How lightning damages a wind turbine blade, how a strike is diagnosed after the event, how the protection system is tested, and what IEC 61400-24 requires of it. IEC 61400-5 explained: what the blade standard requires, and what it does not https://apexwind.dk/articles/iec-61400-5-blade-standard https://apexwind.dk/articles/iec-61400-5-blade-standard Fri, 09 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT IEC 61400-5 is the first international standard dedicated to wind turbine blades. What it covers, how it relates to blade testing and certification, and what an owner or insurer can ask for under it. Measuring blade aerodynamic flow state: what attached and detached flow cost in power https://apexwind.dk/articles/blade-aerodynamic-flow-state-sensors-power https://apexwind.dk/articles/blade-aerodynamic-flow-state-sensors-power Thu, 08 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT How a blade aerodynamic flow state sensor on two V27 turbines split the power curve: attached flow +15%, detached flow -30%, and a per-blade pitch trim method. Wind turbine blade monitoring compared: drones, sensors, SCADA and satellites https://apexwind.dk/articles/blade-monitoring-systems https://apexwind.dk/articles/blade-monitoring-systems Tue, 06 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT Wind turbine blade monitoring compared: drones, robots, blade sensors, SCADA anomaly detection and Sentinel satellites. What each detects, misses and costs. Wind turbine blade icing: production losses, loads and what owners can do https://apexwind.dk/articles/blade-icing-losses https://apexwind.dk/articles/blade-icing-losses Sun, 04 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT How wind turbine blade icing forms, what it costs in production and loads, how ice is detected and mitigated, and how icing damage is told from other causes. Leading edge erosion: how much energy it costs, and when it turns structural https://apexwind.dk/articles/leading-edge-erosion-losses https://apexwind.dk/articles/leading-edge-erosion-losses Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT How leading edge erosion starts and progresses, what studies say it costs in energy and revenue, and when it becomes a structural and insurance question. The wind turbine blade manufacturing process, and where defects enter https://apexwind.dk/articles/wind-turbine-blade-manufacturing-process https://apexwind.dk/articles/wind-turbine-blade-manufacturing-process Wed, 30 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT How the wind turbine blade manufacturing process works, the defect each stage can introduce, from wrinkles to kissing bonds, and what a factory audit looks for. Laminate wrinkle wind turbine blade: how one defect becomes a serial defect https://apexwind.dk/articles/laminate-wrinkles-serial-defect https://apexwind.dk/articles/laminate-wrinkles-serial-defect Mon, 28 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT How a laminate wrinkle wind turbine blade defect forms in the spar cap, why it cuts compressive strength, how it is found, and when it becomes a serial defect. Blade root insert failure: why root connections fail and how to catch it early https://apexwind.dk/articles/blade-root-insert-failure https://apexwind.dk/articles/blade-root-insert-failure Sat, 26 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT How blade root insert failure develops in bonded inserts and T-bolt roots, what inspection can find before blade detachment, and how the cause is established. The cable-stayed rotor: what the Vestas patents cover and why it matters for large blades https://apexwind.dk/articles/cable-stayed-rotor-patents https://apexwind.dk/articles/cable-stayed-rotor-patents Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT How the cable-stayed rotor works, what the Vestas patents co-invented by Mohammed Fajar cover, what is publicly known, and what it means for large blades. Wind turbine blade failure: causes, warning signs and how it is investigated https://apexwind.dk/articles/wind-turbine-blade-failure-causes-investigation https://apexwind.dk/articles/wind-turbine-blade-failure-causes-investigation Tue, 22 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT What causes wind turbine blade failure, the warning signs before it, and how an independent investigation separates an isolated event from a serial defect. The technology qualification wind turbine blades over 100 m will need: an FMECA-based plan https://apexwind.dk/articles/technology-qualification-very-large-wind-turbine-blades-fmeca https://apexwind.dk/articles/technology-qualification-very-large-wind-turbine-blades-fmeca Sun, 20 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT What technology qualification wind turbine blades over 100 m need: a full FMECA mapped to DNV-RP-A203 evidence, from a 2026 paper Mohammed Fajar co-authored.