International Journal of Advanced Engineering Research and Science (IJAERS) Vol-3, Issue-4 , April- 2016] ISSN: 2349-6495 www.ijaers.com Page | 155 Finite Element Analysis of Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine Blades Using NACA 4412 Series Md. Abdul Raheem Junaidi, Mohammed Nawaz Shareef , Mohammed Sameer Department of Mechanical Engineering, Muffakham Jah College of Engg. & Technology, Hyderabad, Telangana, India Abstract— Wind turbine technology is one of the rapid growth sectors of renewable energy all over the world. The ultimate objective of the project work is to increase the output power under specified atmospheric conditions. From the technical point of view, the output power depends on the shape of the blade. The blade plays a pivotal role, because it is the most important part of the energy absorption system. Finite element analysis was conducted by different materials used for blade fabrication namely glass fiber with epoxy resin, Aluminum and teak wood. The research work focuses on NACA4412. Also, the performance of a wind turbine blade is highly dependent on the structure Total deformation, Stress and Strain of the blade is critical to the wind turbine system service life. So, the wind turbine blades are analyzed taking these parameters into account. Keywords— Horizontal axis Wind turbine, NACA 4412, Finite element analysis, deformation. I. INTRODUCTION The modern blade can be divided into three main areas classified by aerodynamic and structural function. a). The blade root: The transition between the circular mount and the first aerofoil profile this section carries the highest loads. Its low relative wind velocity is due to the relatively small rotor radius. The low wind velocity leads to reduced aerodynamic lift leading to large chord lengths. Therefore the blade profile becomes excessively large at the rotor hub. The problem of low lift is compounded by the need to use excessively thick aerofoil sections to improve structural integrity at this load intensive region. Therefore the root region of the blade will typically consist of thick aerofoil profiles with low aerodynamic efficiency. b). The mid span: Aerodynamically significant—the lift to drag ratio will be maximized. Therefore utilizing the thinnest possible aerofoil section that structural considerations will allow. c). The tip: Aerodynamically critical—the lift to drag ratio will be maximized. Therefore using slender aerofoil’s and specially designed tip geometries to reduce noise and losses. Such tip geometries are as yet unproven in the field in any case they are still used by some manufacturers. AERODYNAMICS OF HAWT: Wind turbine blades are shaped to generate the maximum power from the wind at the minimum cost. Primarily the design is driven by the aerodynamic requirements, but economics mean that the blade shape is a compromise to keep the cost of con- struction reasonable. In particular, the blade tends to be thicker than the aerodynamic optimum close to the root, where the stresses due to bending are greatest.The blade design process starts with a “best guess” compromise between aerodynamic and structural efficiency. The choice of materials and manufacturing process will also have an influence on how thin (hence aerodynamically ideal) the blade can be built. The chosen aerodynamic shape gives rise to loads, which are fed into the structural design. Problems identified at this stage can then be used to modify the shape if necessary and recalculate the aerodynamic performance. BLADE SECTION SHAPE Apart from the twist, wind turbine blades have similar requirements to airplane wings, so their cross-sections are usually based on a similar family of shapes. In general the best lift/drag characteristics are obtained by an aerofoil that is fairly thin: its thickness might be only 10-15% of its “chord” length (the length across the blade, in the direction of the wind flow).If there were no structural requirements, this is how a wind turbine blade would be proportioned, but of course the blade needs to support the lift, drag and gravitational forces acting on it. These structural requirements generally mean the aerofoil needs to be thicker than the aerodynamic optimum, especially at locations towards the root (where the blade attaches to the hub) where the bending forces are greatest. Fortunately that is also where the apparent wind is moving more slowly and the blade has the least leverage over the hub, so some aerodynamic inefficiency at that point is less serious than it would be closer to the tip. Having said this, the section can’t get too thick for its chord length or the air flow will “separate” from the back of the blade – similar to what happens when it stalls – and the drag will increase