Embedding sensors and actuators into composite blades

6 May 2026

Wind turbine blades operate under harsh and highly variable weather conditions. In this context, early fault detection and effective maintenance are essential to sustain performance and extend component life. EOLIAN’s Work Package 4 advances this goal by developing and implementing structural health monitoring (SHM) technologies and operation & maintenance (O&M) methodologies, embedding sensors and actuators directly into the composite to enable robust data acquisition, real‑time analysis, and targeted control for issues such as ice accretion and structural damage.

This approach supports earlier intervention, maintains turbine efficiency and energy yield, and lengthens blade service life.

The work is being carried out by Proplast, Politecnico di Milano, Norvento, Brunel University London, and Tekniker and covers research, development, and validation across materials, sensing, control, and testing.

Scope and objectives

WP4 targets the embedding of sensors and actuators into recyclable vitrimer composite blades via in‑mould electronics, preserving structural integrity and manufacturability.

The work package focuses on:

Assessing material and manufacturing process compatibility – particularly the interaction among conductive inks, basalt fibres, and vitrimer matrices – to ensure adhesion, durability, and stable electro‑mechanical performance in representative operating conditions.
Establishing robust monitoring with ad‑hoc sensors for real‑time detection of ice accretion and leading‑edge erosion in demanding environments.
Designing energy‑efficient, heating‑based de‑icing strategies governed by an ice‑detection threshold to optimize energy use.

Advances in EOLIAN

In the last months, EOLIAN has carried out a practical programme in WP4 to demonstrate that conductive inks, glass/basalt fabrics, and epoxy matrices can be combined, via in‑mould electronic techniques, to embed sensors and heaters within wind turbine blade composites.

At the material level, suitable lightweight woven fabrics were identified for screen printing, allowing silver conductive tracks to maintain good conductivity even with a single pass. These tracks showed strong adhesion and mechanical robustness, remaining functional after tape-peel and repeated bending tests. In addition, both the inks and substrates withstand typical composite curing temperatures and are chemically compatible with vitrimer matrices, preserving their electrical performance after moulding.

Regarding demonstrators, multilayer structures were successfully designed and manufactured with integrated interdigitated sensors and resistive heaters. Cross-sectional microscopy confirmed proper integration of the electronic components within the laminate, while also highlighting areas for process improvement, such as resin impregnation.

Initial electrical characterization enabled the selection of demonstrators ready for further testing, including ice detection, erosion monitoring, and heater activation.

Overall, the results demonstrate that electronic circuits can be effectively embedded within composite laminates, with the epoxy matrix encapsulating and protecting the conductive tracks while maintaining their functionality.

Multilayer structures were successfully designed and manufactured with integrated interdigitated sensors and resistive heaters. (Image © Tekniker.)

Next steps

With feasibility established and initial integrations validated, the project now moves into targeted functional testing and design optimisation to ensure the sensing and de‑icing functions work reliably in real operating conditions.

Regarding the functional performance, this is the status and the upcoming work:

Ice detection (completed): We have evaluated sensor behaviour across a range of simulated icing scenarios and temperatures to ensure consistent performance. These tests are being used to define a robust ice‑detection threshold that will trigger the embedded heater only when required.
Erosion detection (up next): We will assess the erosion sensor’s performance using solid‑particle erosion tests, building a clearer picture of detection accuracy and long‑term durability.
Heating system (up next): We will analyse heater behaviour through a combination of theoretical analysis and laboratory trials, focusing on key parameters, analysing temperature increase versus power, stabilisation time, and the ability to reach the target surface temperature of 75°C, with the goal of achieving efficient and responsive de-icing.

Insights from these evaluations will feed into system‑level optimisation and control strategies, ensuring that sensing and de‑icing work together efficiently under real-word conditions.

Ultimately, we aim to manufacture basalt‑fibre‑reinforced vitrimer epoxy composite structures, choosing the final material stack in alignment with progress made across the other work packages.