Wind turbines have a service life of about 20 to 25 years, after which they need to be replaced with newer and more efficient models. This means that there is a growing amount of old and obsolete wind turbines that need to be disposed of. While most of the components of a wind turbine, such…
Blade recycling volumes and technologies Slides Vestas towards sustainable end-of-life treatment of legacy blades and novel blades Slides Achievements and targets of Siemens Gamesa for fully recyclable wind turbines Slides Re:Wind Slides
Slides for Advances and Trends in Wind Turbine Blade Manufacturing
Wind turbine blades are remarkable feats of engineering, transforming the power of the wind into clean electricity. The materials they are made from and the methods used to construct them have a profound impact on their power output, longevity, and overall sustainability. The ideal blade is made from strong yet lightweight materials that can withstand…
Manufacturing defects in wind turbine blades are Dry Spots It can be dry spots and even large whitish areas, which show the lack of resin in the laminate.Glass fibers are dry because they have not been properly impregnated with resin. Excess Resin Regions with excess resin are more fragile and can crack more easily, in…
Lamination Historically, wind turbine blades (made of thermoset resin and fiberglass as well as other composite materials) were manufactured using the hand-lay-up process. The disadvantage of manual lamination is the difficulty of properly controlling the amount of resin in the laminate. Excess resin compromises the mechanical performance of the part, leaving it fragile and heavy….
Sandwich structures made from balsa wood have been used in composite materials around theworld for over 40 years. Balsa wood is called the core material, as it has the function of providing structural filling in the wind turbine blade. it is made from blocks of wood cut across the grain of the wood. The purpose…
Core (Foam) Structural Used as reinforcement of “sandwich” composite materials, as it is rigid, light, and highly durable.It has been used in the composites industry for over 45 years in the manufacture of boats, planes, trucks, automobiles, wind turbine blades, building panels, etc. PET Foam (Polyethylene Terephthalate) It can be found in virgin or recycled…
Peel-ply fabrics are indispensable materials in the manufacturing process of wind turbine blades. Peel ply is the name of the synthetic fabric that is placed on the surface of the composite of fibers and resin, in the vacuum infusion process or vacuum bag. Peel ply fabrics are generally made of polyamide (nylon) or polyester, in…
Wind Turbines are made of composite materials. The materials that form this composite are Resin Usually epoxy or polyester resin Fiberglass Balsa Wood Structural Foam Usually PVC Carbon Fibre
Composite Materials It is a macroscopic combination of two or more distinct materials, which will make the composite possess superior and unique properties in relation to the individual properties of its constituents. Composites are obtained by making combinations between materials from different families. Example: Composites are a number of layers (laminas) bonded by a resin…
Polymers can be classified, in terms of fusibility, into thermoplastics or thermosets (thermosets). Thermoplastic polymers melt on heating and solidify on cooling, in a reversible process. They can also be dissolved in suitable solvents. Examples: PET (from beverage bottles), PS (from disposable cups), LDPE (from plastic bags), PVC (from sewage pipes). Thermosetting polymers, by heating…
What are Polymers? Polymers are a combination of two words poly means many and mers means partsThey are long-chain molecules (macromolecules) composed of many repeating parts (monomers). All polymers are macromolecules, but not all macromolecules are polymers, as not all macromolecules have a monomer (a repeating unit) in their structure, as in the case of…