Research on the on-off detection of lightning protection cables for wind turbines based on ultrasonic guided wave detection technology

In order to detect the failure phenomenon of lightning protection wires in wind turbines without damaging the structural integrity of wind turbines, a non-destructive testing method for lightning protection wires based on ultrasonic guided wave technology is proposed. The dispersion characteristics of ultrasonic guided waves propagating in lightning conductors were obtained using the Semi Analytical Finite Element (SAFE) method, and the detection mode and excitation frequency were determined; A flexible magnetostrictive sensor was designed, and an experimental platform for ultrasonic guided wave detection was built. Experimental research was conducted on the fracture failure of lightning conductors. The experimental results indicate that ultrasonic guided wave non-destructive testing technology can achieve on/off detection of lightning conductors and determine the location of failure.