Blades of a wind turbine on transport

Date January 2009

Used equipment 4-axle, triple-extendable trailer

Special features rotor-blade length and fragility

In the second and fourth week of 2009 four rotor-blades were transported to the Eemshaven harbour in the north of the Netherlands, two from Emden in Northern Germany and two from Magdeburg in Eastern Germany. From a distance the rotor-blades of a wind turbine don’t appear to be very large, but looks can be deceiving. Once they are disassembled they are very long! The blades have a length of no less than 40 metres and each weigh 8.5 tons. The blades are manufactured in sets of three for a wind turbine. They are all balanced and are all exactly the same weight. If one of the three blades breaks or becomes damaged then it means that all three have to be manufactured again, immediately, otherwise the turbine will lose capacity. During the transport the blades protruded 5 metres behind the vehicle. The end of the blade is bent, so extra attention was needed when turning. If something would have touched the blades, even slightly, then they would have been written off. Alertness for objects such as tree branches is an extra requirement for this type of transport.