A review on rain erosion protection of wind turbine blades

Surface erosion of wind turbine blades, which are a key component of wind turbines, plays an important role in reducing the output power and service life of the blades. Rain erosion is also detrimental to wind turbine blades. In this review, the research progress on rain erosion is analyzed from the aspects of protection technology, rain erosion mechanism and related rain erosion tests and simulations. A comprehensive protective coating can be obtained by modifying or combining resins with different properties. Investigation of the rain erosion mechanism should consider the influence of the acidity of rain on the organic coatings. The rain erosion device should be more in line with the natural environment, and the dual structure of the substrate composite and surface coating of the blades should be fully considered as well in the rain erosion simulation.