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Wind and solar power generation have nearly become synonymous with green energy in recent years. Vibration analysis is crucial to the structural integrity of wind turbines, especially for those exposed to tropical storms and salt corrosion in the coastal environment. In this study, a one-dimensional linear continuous model is applied to analyze the spectral characteristics of the supporting tower of wind turbines. Simulated frequency-domain displacements were obtained for the vibration of the supporting tower subjected to the reduction in local stiffness, representing various cases of tower defects. To identify the defected section of the supporting tower, the unit angle of each section is used as the indicator of the defect that can be obtained using a signal processing technique developed in this study. The results of the numerical analysis show that the method can effectively expose the defect location Furthermore, the progression of the existing defect and the difference between the existing defect and the new one can also be observed. The results of this study demonstrate a great potential for future applications. In practice, the possible variation of the tower structure can be obtained by comparing the measured signal results at different periods. This would allow for maintenance to target precisely at the defected areas so as to achieve efficient allocation of maintenance funds.
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