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Dual-Attention Multi-Path Deep Learning Framework for Automated Wind Turbine Blade Fault Detection Using UAV Imagery

delete2026-02-01
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PRE
AI
A
Alanazi, Mubarak *
R
Rashid, Junaid
DOI:10.32604/cmes.2026.077956delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Wind turbine blade defect detection faces persistent challenges in separating small, low-contrast surface faults from complex backgrounds while maintaining reliability under variable illumination and viewpoints. Conventional image-processing pipelines struggle with scalability and robustness, and recent deep learning methods remain sensitive to class imbalance and acquisition variability. This paper introduces TurbineBladeDetNet, a convolutional architecture combining dual-attention mechanisms with multi-path feature extraction for detecting five distinct blade fault types. Our approach employs both channel-wise and spatial attention modules alongside an Albumentationsdriven augmentation strategy to handle dataset imbalance and capture condition variability. The model achieves 97.14% accuracy, 98.65% precision, and 98.68% recall, yielding a 98.66% F1-score with 0.0110 s inference time. Class-specific analysis shows uniformly high sensitivity and specificity; lightning damage reaches 99.80% for sensitivity, precision, and F1-score, and crack achieves perfect precision and specificity with a 98.94% F1-score. Comparative evaluation against recent wind-turbine inspection approaches indicates higher performance in both accuracy and F1-score. The resulting balance of sensitivity and specificity limits both missed defects and false alarms, supporting reliable deployment in routine unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) inspection.
Keywords:
Wind energy
aerial imagery
surface condition monitoring
wind turbine blades
surface defect detection
attention mechanism
computer vision
deep learning
artificial intelligence

Journal

C
CMES-COMPUTER MODELING IN ENGINEERING & SCIENCES
IF:
2.5
Papers:
265
Citations:
0

Organization

J
Jubail Industrial College
Scholars:
273
Papers: 292
Citations: 298
R
royal commission for jubail & yanbu
Scholars:
12
Papers: 10
Citations: 0