Experimental and computational analysis of deflection angles in a lab-scale wind tower using gyroscope, wind sensor, and load sensor

The increasing installation of wind turbines has emerged as a cornerstone in the global surge of zero-emission energy solutions by 2050. This study investigates the structural behavior of a lab-scale hollow wind tower subjected to both wind-only and wind-wave loading, evaluating its displacement and tilt angle using integrated experimental and numerical methods. A key innovation in this study is the development of a sensor-based monitoring system comprising a wind speed sensor (SEN0170), a gyroscope (WT901BLECL), and a load cell (Gravity HX711). This system plays a crucial role in generating real-time aerodynamic and structural data. The absolute velocity of 2.45 m/s generated an average applied force of 16.69 N and produced a maximum deflection angle of 0.077° for wind-only excitation. Finite element analysis using ANSYS Workbench validated these results, achieving 99 % correlation with the experimental displacement of top tower 1.4466 mm. Under wind-wave excitation, the structure was submerged in water; the measured applied force was 4 N, accompanied by a dynamic oscillatory response of approximately 0.02° in the opposite direction. The numerical analysis revealed a 1.54 % increase in maximum structural stress due to hydrostatic pressure, while displacement remained essentially unchanged. These findings highlight a strong correlation between wind speed, deflection angle, and displacement, demonstrating that the proposed sensor-integrated framework and the validated FEA approach can reliably predict real-world tower responses. This integrated methodology advances predictive maintenance and safety design for next-generation wind turbine structures.