Aeroelastic modelling of tail fins for small wind turbines

Many small upwind turbines use a tail fin to align the rotor with the wind. Despite the importance of a well-designed fin for efficient operation and in generating ultimate and fatigue loads, the aeroelastic modelling of tail fins is not well developed. This work extends the previous linearized analyses by including nonlinear effects and the difference between the yaw angle and the angle of attack. The analysis is based on unsteady slender body theory, but includes the vortex lift generated at high angles of attack and the effects of vortex bursting. The model predicts with reasonable accuracy the yaw behaviour of delta-shaped tail fins (without a rotor) released at 45° in a wind tunnel, provided allowance is made for the viscous friction in the yaw bearings. The difference in the response frequency between the linear and nonlinear model increases at the higher yaw angle of 80° for which no wind tunnel measurements are available. As a first step towards simplifying the nonlinear model, the difference in yaw angle predictions from the linear model is estimated. The maximum difference is a function of initial yaw angle and is large for yaw angles of magnitude greater than 45°.